Tiny
by inkdragon13
Summary: Wheeljack brings one of his new inventions to the base and Optimus finds out the hard way that they have the habit of blowing up in his face. Who knew the Autobot leader was so tiny as a sparkling...
1. Stasis Grenade

**Yellow, people! This plot bunny was tearing my brain apart all week and I had to put this down. I don't own jack, Hasbro does. **

**Hope you enjoy reading this! **

**Let's get this show on the road!**

Wheeljack, what is it that you are working on?" I peered over the Wrecker's shoulder, curious. The white mech had arrived at the base and asked Ratchet if he could use some of his tools and a workbench. It seems the Wrecker knows more than a little about inventing. The _Jackhammer's _weapons system is testament to that.

"What, this? It's just a little stasis grenade I've been working on." Wheeljack was sitting at one of Ratchet's workbenches and poking at the small device in front of him. I kept quiet, silently prompting him to continue. I never knew the Wrecker like to invent things... but, we do not know much about him to start.

"It's basically meant to put a bot into instant forced recharge if the grenade makes contact with them. It lasts for twelve Earth hours."

This was beginning to peak my interest. "Do you mind if I get a closer look at it?"

"No, go ahead." Wheeljack handed the grenade to me and I brought it up to optic level. This was built for a smaller servo, but impressive nonetheless. Once he is done working all the problems out, perhaps he will allow us to use them out on the field. They could prove to be very useful. I continued to stare at the device as Wheeljack explained the circuitry and wiring of the grenade, speaking of exactly how it will go off.

"The wiring's still a bit loose so it's pretty easy to set off-" Wheeljack stopped as soon as he heard something from the nearest hallway.

"HEY BOSS BOT!" I jumped, practically throwing the grenade up in the air. Thank Primus I was able to catch the bomb before it hit the floor. I looked up to see Wheeljack on the other side of the room, optics wide in horror. Miko was currently laughing hysterically at my startled reaction to the loud greeting she gave me.

"Miko, I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't scare me like that." It would be completely futile attempting to deny that she scared me. I am just pleased that the only ones who saw that were the human girl and Wheeljack. I secured my servo on the grenade and carefully placed it back down onto the workbench. It didn't appear to be malfunctioning. I heard Wheeljack sigh in relief and walk to stand next to me.

"Man, I gotta go tell Bulkhead! That was gold!" Miko laughed running off back down the halls she came from. The Wrecker stared after her for a moment.

"How do you live with these humans around?"

"You become accustomed to the activities of the youngling humans." I answered, voice monotone. Suddenly there was a loud hissing sound coming from the workbench. Both of us brought our attention to the now smoking device. Both of us jumped back, assuming our respective battle stances. The lighted seams along the grenade had begun to glow a strange green. Sparks started coming from the grenade, forcing me to take action. I lunged forward and swiped the bomb. This device may be small, but Wheeljack's grenades are known to have a very wide blast radius. I cannot afford to have this invention fail in the silo. I punched in a set of coordinates to the Ground Bridge monitor that I knew for certain led deeper into the surrounding desert. I'd have to dispose of it through the Bri-

There was a very bright flash and then, darkness.

...Ratchet's POV: Elsewhere in the Silo...

I had just finished cleaning my favorite wrench when I heard a loud boom coming from the main control room. Startled, I dropped to wrench. As it clattered onto the ground, I raced towards the room, fearing a Decepticon attack. I really hope it's not that. If the Decepticons found our base, the war is as good as over.

I was joined by Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee as I raced down the hall to the room. They all were concerned. I could also vaguely hear the children trying to keep up with us. I slowed a bit and glanced over my shoulder at the children running after us.

"If there is danger of any kind in the main control room, I will be personally escorting you all home." I will _not_ have the children getting hurt for any reason, not now, not _ever_. We ran into the smoke-filled room. It grew very dark as us bots stepped cautiously into the dark grey smoke. Suddenly, I heard a weapon powering up and saw a very bright blue light close to my optics. I jumped back and activated my surgical blade; ready to cut down whoever the frag is pointing that weapon at me. Wait a minute... That looks like...

"Wheeljack?!" Bulkhead exclaimed. The smoke was starting to settle and it was easier to see in the room, though you couldn't see much. Wheeljack lowered his blaster and shifted it back into his hand.

"What in the AllSpark is going on in here?!" I yelled, shifting my blade back into my servo. I glared hard at the Wrecker. When dust settles completely, it becomes nearly impossible to clean all of it off every surface. You know what? I'll just make him do it.

"I'll explain later. Where's Boss Bot?" Wheeljack said in an uncharacteristically hurried tone. Optimus was in here with him? If he was, we would have at least heard him by now. It takes a lot more than smoke to kill the mech.

"Last time I saw him, he was over by the Ground Bridge." Wheeljack informed us. I scoffed.

"Well, he couldn't have gotten far." I walked through the settling smoke towards the glow of the Ground Bridge controls. Suddenly I saw a set of large bright blue optics very low to the ground. Hm. Optimus must've fallen in the blast. I am going to murder Wheeljack if Optimus winds up hurt. I crouched down to scan for any injuries. The smoke is still making it difficult to see. I grumbled angrily as I attempted to fan away the smoke from my face. That smoke was really getting on my- Oh Primus.

I stared, dumbfounded. How on Earth did this even happen? I glowered hotly over my shoulder at Wheeljack.

"What the Pit did you fragging _do_?!"

...Optimus's POV...

I sat up slowly, feeling a massive processor ache pounding in my helm. Rubbing my sore helm, I looked around into the now dark room. There was smoke filling the room and I could barely see in front of me. In these cases, it is a wiser idea to remain here. I do not know what happened, but I am sure the others heard the blast.

Instead of feeling worse, as I had expected, I felt unharmed. If not lighter than before. This is highly unusual... I glanced up to see Ratchet approaching me. How did he become so much taller than me?

Ratchet got closer and looked over me for injuries. As soon as he completed the task, he looked over his shoulder.

"What the Pit did you fragging _do_?!"

"Ratchet, I assure you, I am unharmed. " I stated. My claim was ignored, much to my frustration and annoyance. Those emotions were quickly overshadowed by the sound of my voice. Instead of hearing my own baritone vocalization, my audios were met with a higher pitch. When I spoke I heard English, but it sounded strange, broken and chopped.

Soon the others gathered around me. Something is not right here. Arcee is taller than me. The smoke cleared out and I was able to see myself. I looked at my servo to see a small one instead of my larger one. I realized that I was sitting on my behind instead of on my knees. The explosion was strong, but not strong enough to knock me down completely.

The looks on the others' faces were very disconcerting. They all had the same expression of shock and utter surprise. Something is very wrong. Bulkhead was the one who spoke first, laughing.

"Man, Optimus was a shrimp when he was a sparkling!" That is when it all struck me at once. Wheeljack's invention malfunctioned and exploded without warning.

I am a sparkling.

Before I could control myself, I felt my optics brimming up with tears. A tiny sob escaped my lips as the tears streaked down my face. I squeezed my optics shut, clenching my tiny black servos into fists. I should not let my emotions get out of control. This behavior is extremely undignified.

Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted off the ground and pressed against a warm chassis. I was overcome by emotions again and sought the comfort of the warmth emanating from the chassis, leaning into the comforting heat. It only occurred to me exactly _who_ I was snuggling until it was too late.

"Bulkhead, you made him cry!" Arcee glared at the green mech, who put his servos up in surrender.

"Sorry, but he's so... _small_." Bulkhead could not help but smile slightly when he looked back down at me in Arcee's arms. Then I heard my tanks rumble. My shoulders slumped, embarrassed. The... _transformation_ may have used a considerable amount of my energon. Ratchet motioned for Arcee to come closer to him.

"Arcee, bring Optimus over to my medical berth. I will scan him to try to diagnose exactly what turned him back to this state." Said femme repositioned me and held me on her hip, as I had more than once seen a human femme do with her own child. Before long, I was sitting on a medical berth, looking at Ratchet. A panel opened in his wrist and a green beam of light moved over my frame. Bumblebee went over to me and leaned down, buzzing melodically. His optics grew brighter and doorwings forming a playful 'V' on his back. I am sure he is very happy to see another youngling. Though I am not I not in the most ideal situation, I am pleased to see that the youngling was so joyful.

"There appears to be no damage done. However, His repair systems seemed to have been driven into hyper-overdrive by a high energy boost..." Ratchet trailed off, pulling into his own thoughts.

"But right now, all that matters is that Optimus is unharmed, no thanks to _you_, Wheeljack." Ratchet glared over at the Wrecker, who just shrugged and rubbed the back of his helm. My tanks rumbled, louder this time. I could feel my faceplates heat up in embarrassment.

"Ratchet... could you get me some energon?" I am accustomed to getting it myself, but in my current condition, I doubt the medic would even let me retrieve a cube for myself. Ratchet's attention snapped back to me, an irritated look on his face. Bulkhead snickered and Arcee had an amused look in her optics.

"It's Ratchet, not 'Watchet'."

I gave him a vaguely confused look. What was he talking about? I said his designation properly... The change must be affecting my voice box and my CPU is not registering it as a problem. This glitch in my systems allowed me to only hear the normal English language setting, rather than the strange child-English I was evidently speaking. I was suddenly picked up and a cube of energon was brought close to my face. This time it was Ratchet holding me in the crook of his arm, rather than Arcee. He was even warmer than Arcee and I instinctively shifted closer to his chest. The energon he offered smelled diluted with some sort of solution. I reached towards it, trying to take the cube from him in order to refuel myself. I may be a sparkling, but I am not utterly helpless.

"Nah ah ah. You'll just spill it all over yourself." Ratchet said firmly, gazing down at me. It is useless to attempt to engage in an argument with Ratchet when he used that tone. I swallowed my pride and took the tip of the opened cube in my mouth, prompting Ratchet to tilt the cube. The smooth, sweet liquid soothed the unpleasant feeling in my tanks almost instantly. Swallowing steadily, I relaxed further into Ratchet's arm. I heard Bumblebee release a long beep that sounded suspiciously like 'awww' as my engines started to make a low, purring sound. Once I was content, I started to feel recharge creeping into my processor.

"As much as I'd love to stick around, I need to go find Jack." Arcee stated, stepped forward. The school day had ended two hours before and the other bots brought their respective charges to the base. They had wondered off to explore the unseen parts of the silo after working on their homework. The thought of the children seeing me like this made me abruptly alert. I vigorously shook my helm in protest. I would rather not be seen by any more people like this.

"Yeah, how will the kids react?" Bulkhead snickered.

**Yeah, I kinda wanted to do that for a while now. But that was so fun to do! It is too easy to mess with Optimus. Next chapter may consist of tough adjustments to life as a sparkling and the kids' reactions. I'll definitely go farther into detail about exactly how the stasis grenade turned Optimus Prime into Sparkling Prime. Drop a review and let me know what you think! :)**

**Toodles!**


	2. Sparkling Prime

**Man, I am having a sensory overload right now. The teachers just keep piling on the homework! UGH! DX FFFUUUUU-! But I was able to keep sane by doing a bit of writing throughout the week.**

**But anyway, this starts off in Optimus's POV. The new sparkling will bet getting introduced to the kids and Optimus isn't exactly keen on that.  
**

**Hope you like it!**

I gazed up at Ratchet, almost pleading with the medic to keep me hidden from the children. There was no telling how the young humans would react to my... _new_ appearance. Ratchet merely looked back at me, optics telling me that I was going to see the children whether I liked it or not. I slumped in his arms, allowing myself to nestle closer to his chest plates.

"I will be seeing them now, I suppose." I ignored the snickers I heard from Bulkhead and turned my helm to look at Arcee, who was smiling gently at me. I had not seen that sort of smile on her face before. There was a deep sense of protectiveness emanating from that smile and I saw her optics soften considerably. The expression made me feel safe from harm.

"I'm never going to get over the way he's talking right now." Bulkhead chuckled. I frowned, reminded of the glitch in my CPU. I know I am speaking in a broken child-English but my CPU is not registering the language glitch as a problem. As of now I can only hear my usual English. The others seemed to take my frown as a saddened pout.

"_Hey, don't look so sad. Being a sparkling can't be that bad,"_ Bumblebee beeped from beside Ratchet, who was still holding me. I am sure that I will not enjoy it. I do not like the concept of being dependent on my team for virtually everything I need. This war was a burden enough and having their leader transformed into a sparkling without a means of returning me back to my original form can only make things worse for all of them. My frown grew deeper, knowing how difficult it is to care for a sparkling. Bumblebee buzzed, gaining my attention.

"_Come on, little guy. Don't look like that."_ The youngling beeped in a strange way that, for a reason I do not know, made me laugh. Ratchet seemed to take this an invitation. Grinning, he moved me into the crook of his right arm and used left servo to give me the worst tickle session in my entire existence. I laughed and chirped harder, shifting in a vain attempt to escape Ratchet's tickling, never noticing the children walking into the room.

...Jack's POV...

The three of us walked into the well lit main room to see all the bots gathered around Ratchet. Huh. It looks like he's holding something, but Bulkhead's blocking the way. Miko ran up to stand by Bulkhead's feet and stared up, trying to see what was going on. I'm kinda curious, too. Arcee's almost never _that_ interested in _anything_. And Bumblebee looked like he was going to melt in happiness. Raf and I exchanged looks and spotted Wheeljack standing a bit off to the side. He had this guilty look on his face. And what is that chirping noise?

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Raf looked up at Bumblebee, who had barely acknowledged him. He was too busy doing something with Ratchet.

"What's that you're holding, Doc Bot?" Miko asked loudly. The other bots sort of just looked around at each other.

"Well, you're holding him, Ratchet. " I gave a confused look at Bulkhead's remark. 'Him'? What was he talking about? Ratchet sighed in frustration and stepped forwards. I gasped.

"Whoa! Arcee had a kid!" Miko exclaimed. I facepalmed, sighing into my hand. Arcee didn't come across to me as someone who wanted a kid, let alone have one. Arcee glared hard at Miko. Not surprising that she ignored the look. I focused my attention on the little, giggling transformer in Ratchet's arms. Bumblebee was practically leaning over the little transformer, tickling him in the stomach. His plating was red, silver and blue and he had a silver and black crest on his helm. His helm also had stubby ear finials... I gasped again louder this time.

"Is that who I think it is?" I managed to get out. Ratchet nodded.

"Yes, it is. This sparkling is our leader, Optimus Prime." If my jaw wasn't attached to me, it would have already hit the floor by now. How in the world did that even happen? How the heck was that even _possible_?!

"But... how?" Raf beat me to the question and we both stared at the little bot. He happened to look over at us and immediately turned his head away and pressed against Ratchet. The ambulance rolled his optics and made this weird clicking noise at the bot he was carrying. The little red and blue bot in his arms reluctantly looked back at us. His optics looked _enormous_ and shone brightly.

"To make a long story short: an invention gone wrong." Wheeljack shrugged. I gave him a confused look. He was an inventor, too? Must've been one heck of a project to do that to Optimus. There is a _lot_ I don't know about that guy.

Ratchet crouched down and gently placed the little bot down on ground in front of us. He tried to stand up on his feet but fell back down, unable to keep his balance. Jesus, he was tiny. He's only a bit taller than Raf! He got a really cute, frustrated look on his face as he tried, and failed, to stand up again. I approached him cautiously, like I had once to a scared kitten I found in my backyard. I have no idea if he's still, you know, _there_ and not just a baby. If he's not, then I might scare him. If he is, then he might recognize me. I crouched down so that I was eye level with him. I could feel all eyes and optics on us as the room got really quiet. The little transformer had managed to steady himself on his feet when he looked at me and jumped back a bit, falling back on his butt. I stayed where I was. He probably didn't notice me coming towards him.

"Hey, little guy." It felt so weird calling Optimus 'little guy'. The guy was, what, three stories high? Well, normally, anyway. The huge optics continued to stare at me.

"You remember me?"

His reaction surprised me completely. He actually raised his optic ridge at me. "Course I do. You Jack." His voice had surprised me more, though. For some strange reason, I expected that even, baritone voice I'm used to hearing from Optimus. But then again, if I hear a deep voice like that coming out of a baby, I'm going home and staying there.

"Awww, his voice is SO _cute_!" Miko squealed. She raced over to him. It made it no better that Optimus was talking like a little kid.

"So, what's it feel like to be tiny? I bet is sucks, you usually being the biggest bot here. Hey, what..." Miko threw question after question at little Optimus. After a few seconds, he looked like he was going to get upset. He probably can't help acting like a little kid, either. I stepped in for her sake. I can see Arcee glaring daggers at her.

"Miko, that's enough. You're gonna make him cry."

"Okay, but I've got one question. Can you say my name? Please?" The Japanese girl's eyes sparkled as she stared into Optimus's large optics.

"...Mee... Meeko." Everyone laughed at his slightly strained response. Even Ratchet had a hard time holding it in. Knowing he was getting laughed at, Optimus crossed his arms over his little chest and tried to look frustrated as he sat on the floor. It just turned out looking down right cute.

Raf walked over to little Optimus and sat in front of him. "Can you say my name?"

"Raf." He said in a young child's voice. I smiled slightly and looked up at Ratchet. I bet he knows the whole story.

"What exactly turned him into a baby-err, sparkling?"

"Wheeljack was trying to create something called a stasis grenade. It was charged with a very high amount of energy, meant to knock a mech into stasis for a certain amount of time. It malfunctioned and went off, causing the explosion we all heard earlier. The energy traveled to the wrong section of his CPU, or brain, and kicked his healing systems into overdrive. They repaired him to the point of effectively reversing the aging process. _You_ need to find away to fix this, Wheeljack. Otherwise, you'll be in _very _deep slag." Ratchet sent a heated glare over at the white Wrecker, who gave him a cool, innocent smile.

"So who's gonna watch Lil Boss Bot?" Bulkhead asked. Bumblebee buzzed immediately, getting an arched eyebrow from Arcee.

"Do you even know how to take care of a sparkling?"

Bumblebee turned to her, buzzed and beeping at a faster pace. There was an almost accusign toen in his voice as he beeped at my guardian. Arcee responded, putting her hands on her hips.

"I probably know about that than you do."

I sighed, shaking my head. Arcee isn't going to back down anytime soon.

...Optimus's POV...

I sat on the floor and watched Bumblebee and Arcee argue about who would watch over me. Soon Ratchet joined, stating firmly that he knows the most about the care of sparklings. Bulkhead tried in vain to keep the peace. I could no longer understand anyone fully anymore. It started to escalate and I did not approve of any of it. I was normally the peace keeper in the team, but, I know I am in no place to assume that position. I could feel the childish emotions start to overcome me yet again. I could not have such discord over me. There on the floor I decided to end it the way my strengthened, child instincts told me.

"Waaaaaah!"

I quietly cried, effectively ending all the arguments. I quickly picked up from the floor and pressed against a warm chassis. I looked up to see Ratchet cooing gently at me, rocking me from side to side. Eventually, my crying stopped. Much to my surprise, I was not in the slightest bit embarrassed about the display. Ratchet glared up at the rest of the bots in the room as soon as I had calmed down.

"We will all take shifts. All of us except Wheeljack, who will be working on a way to get our leader back to normal." Arcee came over and took me from Ratchet's arms and held me protectively. Ratchet turned to Bumblebee and Bulkhead.

"You two, take the children home." It was already late in the day, and I am certain that their parents (and host parents) are concerned. Bumblebee nodded and transformed, opening his doors. Miko groaned in annoyance, but put up no further protest and waited for her guardian to collapse down to his vehicular mode. I stared as Jack and Rafael climbed into Bumblebee, bags in hand. I continued to watch from Arcee's arms as Bulkhead and Bumblebee sped out of the base.

"He _is_ kinda cute," Wheeljack commented. I turned my head to gaze at the Wrecker, who had moved to stand in front of Arcee and look down at me. Arcee gently pulled my fingers out of my mouth. When had I started chewing on them?

"Don't chew on your fingers, Optimus. You don't know what's on them." Arcee scolded. Ratchet laughed, apparently amused at the sight of my being scolded by someone other than him. The medic did plenty of scolding when any one of us came back from battle, sporting wounds that he believes could have been avoided.

"Arcee, since you seem to take such a liking to the new sparkling, you will have the first shift. Tomorrow morning, report immediately to my medbay so I can give him a checkup." With that, Ratchet headed towards his tools, hissing a threat that I'd rather not repeat here at Wheeljack. The Wrecker held his servos up in surrender.

"Alright, I get the point! Ya don't need to be so violent with those wrenches!"

Ratchet never looked away from his tools, picking up his favorite throwing wrench and cleaning it. "No, I don't _need_ to. But it seems to be the only effective way to get a point across to you bots."

"Whatever you say, Doc." Arcee turned and left down the hall carrying me as Ratchet hurled his wrench at the Wrecker, giving him a huge dent on the side of the helm. Ratchet threw all of his wrenches, but he liked to throw that particular one since it was rather heavy. No one was spared from the wrath of the wrench when Ratchet was angry, not even I.

"I don't think giving Wheeljack CPU damage is going to make him work any faster. Don't you agree?" Arcee smiled down at me. I never answered her question, but looked around. We are heading towards Arcee's quarters. She seemed to get the hint as I shifted uncomfortably in her arms.

"Did you really think I was going to let you stay in your room alone? You may still be Optimus, but you're also a sparkling. And stop trying to eat your fingers."

I took my digits out of my mouth as we reached Arcee's door. The moment she opened it, I realized I was the only bot to ever be allowed in her room. Not even Cliffjumper was allowed in her quarters. For a long time, Arcee was afraid to get close to someone for fear of losing them like she had Cliffjumper and Tailgate. She is still reluctant to become attached to Jack, especially since she is aware of just how much in danger he is the moment he is around us bots. Her affection towards me is a sort I had never seen from her before. Perhaps my current state reminded her of the days before the war, of a time when sparklings and younglings could run and play freely without worry.

I pressed closer to the warmth of her beating spark. I, along with the rest of us wish for those days to return. The war seems to have gone on forever and there looks to be no end. But, what has a beginning, also has an end.

This war _will_ end. I am sure of it.

Arcee set me down on her berth and stepped back to look me in the optics. "You stay right here. I'm going to get some energon for you." The stern look on her faceplates got the message across as I sat there. She turned and the room, but not without taking a last glance at me. Once she was gone, I observed my surroundings. Her room was plain. There was a desk and chair in the corner of the room. There were a number of datapads on her desk and a few were fixed onto the wall. On one of those datapads was a picture of Bumblebee, Tailgate and Arcee standing and smiling in the streets of Iacon.

I looked away. It was those memories of times past that hurt you the most in this war. But... it is also those memories that drive us all forward. We all want to relive those memories and we all will fight for a brighter future.

Feeling recharge creep steadily into my processor, I lay down on my side and curled up. This day has certainly proved to be interesting. My change has yielded some rather interesting results. However, I can only hope that the Decepticons do not find out about this. Megatron will undoubtedly take advantage of my current vulnerability. I shuttered my optics, surrendering to the pull of recharge, under the hard white light shining down on Arcee's padded berth.

Hopefully, it will not take Wheeljack long to correct this issue.

...Agent Fowler's POV: Next Morning...

I sighed as I watched the skies in the cockpit of my F-35. I'm starting to lose my touch. Missed a field report from Prime. And if I don't get that report ASAP, I'll have to deal with more paperwork than the massive load I already get from the military. Plus, I could get into major trouble with the higher-ups. Even with the knowledge that the Autobots are more than capable of taking care of themselves, they still feel that the bots need to be watched. In my mind, that's completely ridiculous. The Autobots would never do anything against mankind. I've got Prime's word on that. But... I get paid to do my job, not question the authorities.

I circled around the air strip by the Autobot outpost and landed smoothly. I climbed out of the cockpit and headed for the door nearby. I walked down the well-lit halls and reached the small elevator door. Once inside, I pushed to button leading down to the bottom floor. Hopefully nothing out of the ordinary happened. With the 'Cons. That just meant more paperwork for me.

The elevator stopped and its doors opened. I arched an eyebrow. This was strange. As far as I know the bots don't pay that much attention to Ratchet. They were all staring at something he was holding, but I couldn't see what it was since the ambulance had his back to me. Same with the children. Reminding myself that today was a Saturday (so I should expect the kids to be here at theis time of day), I walked left the elevator and walked towards the railing.

"Would someone mind telling me what's going on here?" Everyone turned and looked at me at the sound of my voice. Ratchet turned around as well, letting me see exactly what he was holding.

I raised my eyebrows. He was holding a small cube of energon in one hand and was feeding a baby transformer in the other! The baby had his eyes closed and was clutching the sides of the energon cube in Ratchet's hand, bringing it closer to his face.

"Who decided to settle down and have a kid?" I glared at all of the bots in the room. Bumblebee's doorwings hitched in embarrassment, while Arcee and Bulkhead gave me an incredulous look.

"As nice of a scenario that may be, no one here did." Ratchet answered. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Then whose kid is he?" If he's here, where are his parents? And how did the Autobots get him? Rafael walked up to me while I thought through a million different answers to these questions.

"Agent Fowler, does he look familiar to you?"

"No, why?"

"...Well, look at him a bit harder." Thinking of nothing else I could do, I stared hard at the kid in Ratchet's arms. His plating was red, blue and silver and there were stubby finials on the sides of his helm. My eyes widened in shock.

"Is that _Prime_?!" And at that instant, the little bot's eyes snapped open to see me.

**So... How was that, you guys? I've never done Fowler's POV before, so I don't really know how I did on that. I wanna thank all those who reviewed to previous chapter. I didn't expect so many people to like this one.**

**In the next chapter, Arcee's going to take her shift watching sparkling Optimus. But being a sparkling, who knows what's going to happen. See you then!**

**P.S. Can someone tell me where the whole idea of Ratchet throwing wrenches at people came from? I tried looking, but nothing has been giving me any straight answers.  
**


	3. Playtime

**Yay! New chapters! The workload from school has let up a bit, considering I'm on fall break. Anyway, in this chap Optimus gets a little time with Arcee and the kids. **

**This starts off in Optimus's POV. I don't own nothin' and I ain't making a profit off this. **

**Let's light this candle**!

I heard a loud voice as I was being fed by Ratchet. I jolted and looked down at the source of the voice. Before I could recognize exactly who it was, my energon went down too swiftly, causing me to cough loudly. The coughing grew harder as I felt my entire frame shake with each one. My throat began to burn. I was quickly taken from Ratchet's arms and held by someone else, my coughing hard enough to force my optics to tear up, blurring my vision. I felt a servo lightly pat my back, successfully slowing the coughing. A single tear flowed down my faceplates but was speedily wiped away by a black servo. I rubbed my optics and looked up to see Bumblebee's large blue optics staring down at me, full of careful concern.

"_You okay, Optimus?_" The scout buzzed. I nodded, failing to find my voice in a timely manner. Relieved, he looked back up at the rest of the bots. My instincts temporarily took control as I reached towards the cube in Ratchet's servo, making small grabbing motions with my little servos. My throat felt raw from the coughing, but I was in need of refueling. The medic chuckled and took me from Bumblebee's arms. I nestled into the crook of his arm and grabbed the sides of the energon cube again, pulling it closer to my mouth. Ratchet slowly tilted the cube as the same voice from before sounded.

"How in George Washington's name did that even happen?" I vaguely recognized the voice, but my attention was focused on refueling.

"One of Wheeljack's inventions blew and Optimus was caught in the blast." My tanks were now very close to being full and I allowed myself to center my attention elsewhere. I let go of the cube and looked down to see Jack trying to explain my current condition to Agent Fowler. I blinked down at the human when he looked up at me.

"Well, regardless of how it happened, we still have a serious problem. If the Cons find out about what happened to Prime-" Agent Fowler glared at the rest of the bots.

"They won't find out." Arcee said firmly.

"Let's hope they don't. If they get past you bots, who knows what they'll do to the little guy. And I highly doubt he can defend himself." I frowned at Agent Fowler's statement. I know that I am a sparkling, but I still have my T-Cog. After more thought, I realized that even though I still have my T-Cog, it was more than likely that my repair systems reverted the organ back to the underdeveloped state of a sparkling's. With an undeveloped T-Cog, I could no longer transform or activate my weapons system.

I was completely helpless.

"Agent Fowler, I'm going to ask you to keep Optimus's current… _condition_ hidden from your human leaders." Ratchet asked the man in a serious tone. He had a right to be concerned. If the humans' leaders learn of my transformation, they may believe that the Autobots were completely leaderless and feel that they need to take military actions against Decepticons for us. That scenario will only result in widespread human casualties and the exposure of the presence of Cybertronians on Earth. The human arched an eyebrow.

"I wasn't planning on it. The higher-ups don't need to know everything about you bots. "

"Thank you, Agent Fowler. I take it you came here for a report. Well, thus far, the Cons have been relatively quiet. I have detected slightly less activity from them. However, we will remain on edge." Ratchet replied, placing the small energon cube I had finished drinking from onto a nearby workbench.

"Is he still, you know, there?" Fowler asked, looking me in the optics. I silently blinked back at him.

Arcee answered first. "Yeah, he's still there. Optimus recognized us when we first found his like this." Fowler seemed relieved at her words.

"Good. The last thing we need is Prime losing his memories again. I need to go and report back to General Bryce. I'll see you bots around." The human gave me a small smile before heading over to the elevator. After Agent Fowler left, Ratchet turned to Arcee.

"I have repairs to make on the Ground Bridge's central operating systems. You will have to watch over Optimus for the time being." With that, he handed me to the blue femme. Arcee held me at her hip and watched Ratchet take a few tools and a datapad off his workbench and walk over to the Ground Bridge. What exactly did they have planned for me to do? I doubt Arcee would allow me to operate the monitor and scan over the Iacon Database. Miko walked to stand next to Arcee's pede.

"So, what now?"

…Arcee's POV…

Miko stood next to my pede as I held Optimus closer to my chassis. I had never imagined the largest bot on our team to be so small and helpless as a sparkling. I can't help but feel protective over him, as I had for other sparklings in my family during the Great War. When the sparklings were around in my family, I was too young to take full responsibility in caring for them, but I liked being around them. Sparklings give me a sort of peace of mind that nothing else has been able to provide. For a long time, I had dreamed of having my own after the war. To stop fighting and settle down would be nice.

But now is not the time to think about stuff like that. Right now, I need to watch over Optimus. As a sparkling, he was very quiet. But when he was sleeping, he was rather chatty. He kept me up at night with his clicking and chirping. I wonder what he was dreaming about. Last night, he had curled up in the fetal position, occasionally twitching. He never said anything about it this morning, but I doubt he remembers it, whatever it was.

Suddenly, Optimus started to squirm uncomfortably next to me. I looked at him, concerned. "What's wrong, Optimus?" He had this almost desperate look on his face as he glanced between me and the kids. I'm really starting to get concerned. Optimus _never_ looked this distressed, regardless of what situation he was in.

Then, it all came together. I smiled in relief.

I know what's bothering him.

…Optimus's POV…

This is _very_ embarrassing.

I was being held by my femme teammate and I was beginning to get an intense and uncomfortable sensation in my waste tank. I know I drank quite a bit of energon for my size today and yesterday but I did not realize how quickly it would pass through my systems. I had no idea how to tell Arcee _where_ I needed go without making a fool of myself.

I opted to squirm in her grip, concerning Arcee. She raced down the halls towards the waste disposal rooms, leaving the children to wonder what was wrong.

Once we reached our destination, she swiftly laid me down on my back on a metal table and I felt her loosen the plating on my lower body. I could feel my faceplates begin to burn furiously. I would have been much more comfortable with Ratchet doing this. He is our medic, as well as a close friend of mine, and does not make me nearly as nervous in situations regarding… _close_ contact with my frame. Arcee is a friend as well, but I know she prefers little physical contact from others. Her willingness to do this is, for a reason I could not name, disconcerting.

But, she may have some experience with sparklings. She and I both know that sparklings flush waste from their systems when their frames feel the need to, not when they feel the need to. That realization eased my tension somewhat and I relaxed under Arcee's servos. Once she was done shifting the plating out of the way, she held me over one of the waste tanks and told me to 'let it out'. I complied, though my faceplates heated again once I made optic contact with the blue femme while I was expelling the waste from my frame in an extremely undignified spray.

Once I was finished relieving myself, Arcee cleaned me off and put my plating back in place. That had gone much better than I expected. I called her name, making sure that I spoke in English as she carried me back to the main control room. She gave me a warm sideways look.

"'Arshee'? That was so cute."

I turned away from her, reminded yet again of the glitch in my CPU. Arcee chuckled as she stepped into the light of the main control room. Ratchet turned around to face the two of us, a concerned expression on his faceplates.

"What was wrong?" Arcee shrugged.

"He just needed to expel the waste from his tanks." The heat in my faceplates flared up again. Must she be so blunt in a situation like this? The longer I stay in this form, the less control I have over the dignity I lose.

"Ah. Well, at least he's flushing his tanks properly. I beginning to wonder when he would, seeing how much energon he drank yesterday and today." Ratchet mused thoughtfully, gaining an amused expression as I tried to glare at him. The look most likely ended up appearing as if I was scrunching up my face. Growing tired of being held, I asked Arcee to put me down.

"Ratchet, can I borrow a few tools? I'm going to make a few toys for the new sparkling." Ratchet nodded once and handed her a few tools that I could not make out from my current seat on the floor. Before headed back down the halls, Arcee turned and looked back at me, a very tern look in her optics.

"You be good." I crossed my arms over my chest and ventilated, allowing myself to act like a child. I may be a sparkling, but I do know how to properly behave. I heard someone walk towards me as I began to stand shakily on my pedes. I was still having difficulties with my balance. Before I fell back down on my behind, I felt a warm soft hand grab my servo. My large optics widened as I looked up to see Jack looking down at me. He gave me a friendly smile and spoke in an equally friendly tone.

"Wouldn't want you falling again." I merely blinked at the human. Even at my current height, I was still shorter than Jack. I adjusted my grip on his hand, so I would not crush it. Jack moved to lead me up the stairs and I followed along. Rafael and Miko were waiting, sitting on the couch Bulkhead had found in one of the many storage rooms of the silo for the children. Once we made it over to the couch and sat down (with Jack's assistance), Miko began chattering on about which rock song she should play for me. I was never fond of that particular style of Earth music that Miko liked. I preferred the slower, gentler music of their planet. Somehow sensing that I did not want to listen to Miko's choice in music, Jack stepped in.

"How about we do something other than listen to rock music? Even when Optimus was a grown bot, he never seemed to like your Bulgarian shriek metal."

Miko pouted, clearly deflated. "Well, what _can_ we do with Lil Boss Bot? He certainly isn't saying anything about what he wants to do."

I honestly have no idea as to what I wanted to do at the moment, so I will let them decide. Rafael suddenly jumped up and walked over to me.

"I remember playing a game when I was little with my sister, Pilar. Here, hold your hands up, Optimus." He held his own hands up, palms facing me. I mimicked his motions, my palms facing his.

"It's an old nursery rhyme game. What you do is clap your hands together and clap your hand with mine according to the pace of the game. How about we start off slow?" I nodded, earning an excited look from the boy standing in front of me. "Okay, let's get started!" Rafael cleared his throat and started the chant-like rhyme.

"Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

All dressed in black, black, black

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons

All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother

for fifteen cents, cents, cents

To see the elephant, elephant, elephant

Jump over the fence, fence, fence.

He jumped so high, high, high

He reached the sky, sky, sky

He never came back, back, back

Till the 4th of July, ly, ly!"

Before long I found myself almost singing the rhyme, all of us giggling and laughing at the occasional mistakes. The three children began naming more and more old nursery rhymes they learned from relatives when they were little. What I thought would be a short game lasted a very long time. Not caring how long I was with the young humans, I kept on, enjoying this moment of play. It has been a very long time since I felt so light in my spark. It is almost sad that I have become used to the heaviness the war has put on my frame. Feeling so free should not be such a shock, but it is.

Arcee had returned, but did not disturb us, probably not wanting to disrupt the fun I as having with the children. I vaguely noticed her hand something to Ratchet and lean against the frame of the hallway, protectively watching over me. I could have sworn I saw my carrier in her optics.

Before long, the children had to return to their respective homes, leaving me alone in the base with Ratchet. It had grown dark quickly and I could hear the calm shushing sound of the rain.

"Here; Arcee made this for you." Ratchet reached into his subspace and handed me a home-made toy. I had to hold onto it with both serovs. It looked much like what the humans call actions figures. It was a green and blue mech with motor wings and blue tinted optics that seemed to shine in the shadow. There was an extraordinary amount of detail in the figure. I will remember to thank Arcee for the effort she put into this once she returns to base. Ratchet chuckled at my admiration of the figure.

"I see you like it. Don't get too excited, though. You still need to get you recharge." I narrowed my optics in confusion. Recharge? It was not that late in the day yet… but I could feel myself beginning to tire. I allowed myself to be picked up and carried down the hall by my old friend. I held my new toy close to my spark and I nestled into the crook of Ratchet's arm. The storm outside was growing worse and I could already feel the temperature in the base dropping ever so slightly.

Suddenly there was a loud boom of thunder and I couldn't suppress the frightened whimper that escaped me. Ratchet looked down at me, silently reassuring me that there was nothing to be scared of. I took comfort in the look in his optics and tired to calm myself. I shut my optics and listened to Ratchet's strong spark beat, feeling his comforting warmth. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Right?

**Uh, oh. Optimus is gonna run into a fear every little kid has dealt with. Lightning storms and thunder. How will he handle it? **

**I credit the bathroom moment with Arcee and Optimus to IBrokeTheFourthWall. Thanks for the idea. By the way, I'm sorry but your username is too awesome for you to not have a profile picture. **

**Have any ideas for the next chapter? Don't be shy! Anybody remember that nursery rhyme I used? I remember playing it a lot when I was little with my mother and my sister.  
**

**In some parts, Optimus sounds slightly out of character. I did that to show that the reawakened child in him is starting to show mentally. **

**Have any ideas for future chapters? Don't be shy! **

**I want the thank all those who review the previous chapter and I will see you in the next one!**


	4. Family

**Inspiration strikes like the thunderstorm above my house yesterday. Must. Write. New. CHAPTER!  
**

**Starts off in Sparkling Prime's POV. I don't own squat. **

**Hope you enjoy the latest chapter of Tiny!**

I shivered next to Ratchet's chassis as I lay awake in my friend's dark berthroom, despite the heat emanating from his recharging form. The storm had only grown worse and I could hear the thunder as clear as day, each boom shaking the entire silo. I attempted to drown out the sound of the storm and shut down for recharge, but the noise I was trying to ignore was pulling me away from the sleep I now desperately needed. A long whine escaped my voice box when the thunder gave a particularly loud rumble. The frame next to me stirred and shifted.

"Mmm… Optimus? Are you alright?" Ratchet asked sleepily as he looked down at me, optics dim. I was not 'alright', but I do not wish to disturb his night of recharge. I said nothing, merely blinking back at him, striving to conceal the increasing dread in my optics. I would have succeeded had I been a grown mech.

"It's the storm, isn't it? Don't worry; it's nothing to be fearful of. Sleep now, little one." The medic said reassuringly. I gave him a small nod and curled closer to him, my back pressed against his chest plates. I remained alert as I listened to Ratchet fall back into recharge. His ventilations grew deeper as thunder cracked again. I felt a miniscule twinge of jealousy. How could one recharge so peacefully with the booming thunder going repeatedly? How could that sound not evoke fear in one's spark?

I stared at Ratchet's silver and black servo and push myself further into my friend's chest plates. My old friend was slightly curled around me as he recharged, protecting me in a way. I quickly realized that even though I was in the comforting warmth of my friend, my fear would not easily fade away. I turned my helm just enough to see Ratchet's relaxed face.

Shifting silently away from Ratchet, I made sure to not wake him. I jolted as thunder boomed again, echoing through the base. Fear squeezed my spark as I scrambled off Ratchet's berth, barely landing on my pedes. Not bothering to steady myself on my pedes, I allowed myself to fall to my knees.

I would seek help elsewhere.

…

I managed crawl halfway, though my progress was agonizingly slow. I grew tired frequently, but the booming thunder and cracking lightning motivated me to keep moving. I never realized how far away Arcee's room was from Ratchet's berthroom.

Pain grew in my joints as I worked on my servos and knees to pull myself through the dark hallway. Unable to push myself any farther, I collapsed on the floor near the wall. I curled into a tight ball and quaked with fear as the thunder boomed again and again. There was nothing for me to hear but the thunder. No matter how hard I tried, all I could focus on was the thunder. I could no longer think properly without the child fears overwhelming me. I attempted to clamp down on the fears, only to fail. Losing control, the thoughts of a child raced through my processor at light speed. Fear of the storm going on continuously. Fear of the thunder. Wishing to be found by someone and terror tore through my spark at the thought of no one finding me until morning.

Long buried emotions suddenly forced me to do what I had been trying to resist for this entire night.

...Bumblebee's POV...

I had woken up because of the storm twenty minutes ago. It was pretty bad out there and it showed absolutely no sign of stopping anytime soon. I wasn't able to get back to sleep so I decided to go grab a cube of energon. While I was walking there, I heard a very strange noise. I stopped dead in my tracks, waiting for noise to- there is was again! What the heck is that?

Having nothing else better to do, I followed the sound down the hallway. It sounded almost like a bird chirping and grew louder. It didn't take me long to discover the source of the sound.

I gasped and ran over to Optimus's tiny shaking form. He was shaking from both fear and the cool air in the silo. He was curled in on himself, tears flowing down his face. His clicking and buzzing were of a sparkling distress call, something I hadn't heard in... Well, a really long time. I picked the sparkling up and held him close, humming a little song I remember learning when I was little.

After a while, his shaking and crying slowed. How in the world did he get out here? I know for a fact Ratchet would not have let Optimus out. He probably left Ratchet's room without him knowing. But why would he leave Ratchet's berthroom? I decided to ask him that, but I got no response as thunder resonated through the silo. That boom caused the tears to begin streaking down his face again and his sobs grew louder and slightly higher pitched.

His fear of this storm almost frightened me. Optimus was never afraid of anything. Even in the worst situations, the most he would show was frustration. And even then you had to be looking at him for a really long time for you to really notice it. The rawness of his emotions saddened more than I would have liked. I know that Optimus Prime is a sparkling now, not a grown mech. That stone wall he built around his emotions is gone.

The little sparkling in my arms grabbed weakly at my chest plates with cold servos, trying to pull himself closer to the seams in the armor over my spark. I gazed down at him as he jolted and whined after every boom of thunder. The dimmed lights in the hall started to flicker irregularly, frightening the little one even more. I know a decent bit about how to care for sparklings, but I have never seen one so scared before. It angered me knowing that I couldn't do anything to ease the fear. Optimus had done it for me so many times I don't even bother keeping track. It hardly seemed fair. He helped me, and when he needs help I can't give it to him. I refocused my optics and gazed down the darkened hall.

I need to get him back to Ratchet.

...Ratchet's POV...

My optics snapped open, my CPU fully alert. I servo instantly moved to rest on Optimus's little side.

Only he wasn't there.

Fear striking me like the lightning outside, I shot off my berth and jumped up. I looked all over my room for him, only turning up with nothing. Anger and dread swirled in my spark as I checked my room over again. I have to find my sparkling!

The thought made me freeze. How could I think that? No, Optimus was not my sparkling. He is the Autobot leader turned into a sparkling. Disconcerted by the level of sincerity of my connection to the new sparkling, I raced over to the door, ready to throw it open when it was opened for me. Bumblebee stood in front of me with a tired look in his optics as he held a sobbing Optimus. The little sparkling was holding onto Bumblebee for dear life as he cried into the young scout's chest plates. The thunder had yet the let up and it was obvious that the storm was what was frightening him. Relief washed over me and I thanked Bumblebee as I took Optimus from his arms. The young scout nodded and headed off down the hall. Optimus calmed down somewhat as I walked back into my berthroom, my engines creating a low hum. I sat cross-legged on my berth and placed the little sparkling on my lap, allowing him to lean into my grill.

It saddened me how scared he was of the storm. The thunder had him shaking uncontrollably and the sobbing never stopped. His large optics was wide with fear as tears rolled freely down his face. He moved as close as he could to me as the storm outside vocalized the immense power of nature repeatedly. His fright ridden, stuttered whines hit my audio receptors, despite their low volume. At this moment, Optimus Prime is no longer here. In his place was a sparkling that needed help. Though I can't make this storm stop, I can soothe him the best way I know how.

"Primus loves his little sparklings.  
All his sparklings of the world.  
Grounder, flyer, he cares not.  
They're all precious in his sight.  
Primus loves his little sparklings of the world."

Almost instantly, the little one's cries began to quiet as I softly sung the old Cybertronian hymn. His shaking began to subside as I repeated the lines and his engines began to make a purring sound. I pulled a rag from my subspace and gently wiping his little face. He stared up at me with so much unmasked love in his optics; I found it hard to remember that those same optics also belonged to a scarred war veteran.

Optimus chirped softly as he shut his optics. I have to remember that the stasis grenade merely affected his body, and not his mind. I have to remember that he won't stay like this forever. I gently rubbed his little back as he fell into recharge, the rumble of my own engine trying to drown out the booming thunder for him. I moved on to another song I had found on the Internet. I heard that many human sparklings were soothed by this one, so I decided to try it for Optimus. I shuttered my optics and swayed to the rhythm of the song.

"Near the village, the peaceful village,  
The lion sleeps tonight.  
Near the village, the quiet village,  
The lion sleeps tonight."

I looked down and smiled to see Optimus sound asleep. Not wanting to wake him, I stayed in the same position and sang the lyrics of the upbeat, yet gentle song. There was a sense of accomplishment in my spark as I allowed myself to be pulled into recharge.

"Hush my darling, don't fear my darling.  
The lion sleeps tonight.  
Hush my darling, don't fear my darling.  
The lion sleeps tonight..."

...Next Afternoon...

I was sitting on one of my medical berths, watching the children play with the little sparkling. I had plenty to do around my medbay, but I'd rather watch over Optimus. Arcee was currently on monitor duty, but I had the feeling that she was keeping an optic on Optimus as well.

"Hey Ratchet, I picked up a strong energon signal in the forests of the southern Rocky Mountains." She gave me a sideways look. Nodding in recognition, I commed Bulkhead and Bumblebee. Soon enough, the two of them came walking the main control room. I stood and explained to them the mission at hand and sent them on their way. Because of the forest's density, I had Arcee go along with them. If neither Bulkhead nor Bumblebee could fit in certain spaces, I'm confident the blue femme could.

After cleaning my frame welder and a few of my favorite wrenches I looked back over to the children's recreational corner, noticing the sudden silence. I stiffened as I saw none of the children in the little area. Fear and rage tore through my spark as I realized what happened to the children and the little sparkling I quickly came to love dearly.

...Soundwave's POV...

Lord Megatron assigned me to scout for a strong energon signature with a small group of troopers in the forest. He was confident that the energon was there, but we needed a solid confirmation of the source's exact location. I sent the soldiers under my commander in separate directions, to search for any trace of raw energon.

I refrained from ejecting Laserbeak, despite how much he would assist in the search. The sight of my surveillance drone would draw unwanted attention from the humans to the area. We needed this mission to remain covert. I had no trouble remaining quiet, despite my size and the limited space between the trees. The troopers were not used to such environmental conditions and were doing the best they could to quiet their steps, though I would prefer it if they were silent on their pedes.

As I watched them go in their assigned direction, I heard a very small noise south of my current position. I stood still and waited for the noise, so I could pinpoint its exact location and indentify what it is. Finding the source of the sound via sensors, I extended my tentacles and sent them along the forest floor, feeling for the source. I heard a loud squeak as one of my tentacles closed around a small limb. The small being on the other end of my tentacle struggled against my grip as I pulled the creature into view. What the 'creature' shocked me, which is a feat in itself.

It was a sparkling and was, without a doubt, Optimus Prime.

The Autobot leader turned sparkling stared up at me with large optics, wide with fear. He doesn't appear to recognize me. Perhaps what ever conducted this physical change affected the Autobot mentally as well. I gripped the sparkling firmly, yet gently as I transformed to my UAV drone alternate mode. I sent a transmission to the scouting troopers to continue searching for the energon. I noticed three humans running into the clearing I once stood in the second after I flew off towards the Nemesis, sparkling in tow. The humans were the three associated with the Autobots. I focused my attention on returning to the warship. The humans were foolish to bring the Autobot leader here in such a vulnerable condition.

Soon I will see what Lord Megatron will do with the little Autobot sparkling.

...Ratchet's POV: Autobot Outpost Omega One...

"Miko... I will _murder_ you!" I yelled, stepping angrily towards the little human. How in the world did she possibly think this was okay?! A hide and seek game was no excuse! If that's all she wanted to do, she could have just asked me! Rage boiled in the energon pumping through my fuel lines as Bulkhead did best to restrain me. My processor was set upon killing the human that was the source of my current distress.

The little human had a very sad, hurt and guilty look on her face. She couldn't look anyone in the eyes or optics as I snarled animalistically at her. Jack offered her no help and merely stood off to the side, mumbling how he tried to stop her. My angry display was frightening Bumblebee and Rafael, but I didn't care. All I wanted was for the little one to be returned to me. Arcee felt much the same way.

However, her emotions were not shown like mine. She stood very far away from us in the main control room, as stiff as a board. No one was looking at her, but I could clearly see the single tear rolling down her face. She had lost yet another family member.

_"It'll be alright, you guys. We'll get him back."_ Bumblebee buzzed confidently, but I could still the tiny flicker of doubt in his voice. I firmly ignored it and restrained my increasing anger.

We will find him, even if it kills me.

...Optimus's POV: _The Nemesis_...

I sobbed in Soundwave's servos as he walked steadily into the command room of Megatron's warship. I let the child in me have more control as I cried. All I wished for right now was to go back to the base and be welcomed by the warmth of my family. I wanted to feel warm again. Here, there was only still, frigid air. Soundwave did not hold me with any sort of affection. I missed how Ratchet and Arcee held me close. I missed being blanketed in their protective warmth. I missed being at home.

"What is it, Soundwave?" Megatron turned and looked at the silent mech, who, in turn, held me up for the warlord to see.

"A sparkling? Here on Earth?" He stepped closer and leaned in closer. I shrunk back once I felt a warm ventilation come from him. I could not help but stare into his intense red optics. The sheer size difference between us made me very wary of him in such close proximity to my tiny form.

"A sparkling who is Optimus Prime, no less!" Megatron mused, grinning as he picked me up roughly. I squeaked in protest and tried in vain escape his grip. Realizing that my attempts were futile, the child within overwhelmed me and I loosed a long wail. An angry look flashed across Megatron's scarred face and he bore his sharp denta slightly as he dropped me back into Soudwave's grip.

He stood at full height and turned his back on Soundwave, servos behind his back. "He doesn't seem to recognize me... It would be easy to snuff his spark now and leave the Autobots in shambles."

I whined, terrified at the thought of being taken away from my family forever. I know Megatron has done horrible things during this long war, but I would have never thought I would see the day that he would even consider killing a little sparkling.

He looked back at me with a piercing red optic. "But, there would be a greater effect on the Autobots if we kept the sparkling alive and raise him to believe in the Decepticon cause." I hid my horror as I looked at Megatron in Soundwave's slender servos.

"Soundwave, since you found him, you will attend to the needs of the sparkling." The silent mech nodded once and turned, leaving the command center. We headed down the dark, cold hall. More than I few Vehicons stared at me as Soundwave passed by. I whined and whimpered quietly the entire way to our destination.

Suddenly, the silent mech stopped in front of a door and opened it. The spacious room inside was surprisingly warm and welcoming, with small knickknacks decorating the desk on the far side of the room and datapads fixed to the walls. He silently walked in and placed me on his padded berth. I watched him as he moved over to a black metal cabinet and pull out a cube of energon. I stared as he picked me up, surprisingly gentle, and cradle me in a way that reminded me so much of the way Ratchet held me. I instinctively relaxed and grabbed for the energon cube as Soundwave sat on his berth. I shut my optics and the fear began to fade to the background as I drank my fill of perfectly warmed energon from the cube Soundwave was holding close to my face.

Once I was finished, Soundwave gently placed me back down on the berth and headed for the door. Just before leaving he ejected Laserbeak and the drone hovered its way to a high corner in the back of the room. Laserbeak made me feel as if I was being watched for my own protection. Soundwave dimmed the lights and silently left me in his personal quarters under the watchful optic of his surveillance drone.

I never thought the mech could be so gentle towards someone. I had only seen the hard mask he wears, unable to see any emotions. All I could see for a very long time was his fierce loyalty to Megatron. Soundwave, from what i have just experienced, is a gentle, protective mech and has experience in caring for sparklings. Even his room gives off a gentle, caring sensation. I lay on my side and curled tightly into the fetal position and shuttered my optics. I shifted slightly, pleased at the warm sensation coming from Soundwave's heated berth. I felt recharge pulling at the corners of my mind. As nice and comfortable as Soundwave's room is...

I must find a way back to my family.

**I credit the lullaby idea to Mrs. Ferb Fletcher-inator and the scene where Optimus tries to crawl to someone for help to Naughtia. Thanks, you guys! **

**How'd I do for Soundwave's POV? This actually the first time I've done a Decepticon's POV, so I'd like to know how I did.  
**

**Megatron told me that on Thursday, November 1st, there is going to be a 26 hour (that's every episode) marathon of Transformers Prime. It starts 5:30pm Eastern, 2:30pm Pacific. The Transformers Prime 26 Hour Takeover leads up to the explosive season finale! I am SOOO excited!  
**

**I just watched the newest episode of TFP and there are more than a few surprises in that episode.  
**

**See you all next time and let me know what you think!  
**


	5. Finger Paint

**I know, I know. I haven't updated this in quite some time. But here I am now! I don't own Transformers Prime, but I do own this story. This particular chapter starts off in Starscream's POV and goes from there.**

**Now that Soundwave has taken the little sparkling to the **_**Nemesis**_**, Megatron will tell the other 'Cons of Optimus's presence on the ship. How will the other Decepticons react?**

I walked towards the command center of the _Nemesis_, wings held high as usual. Megatron called all of his higher ranking officers to the command post to discuss something he refused to speak of over the intercom. There has been some recent chatter among the troops about a 'new arrival'. Unlike most common hearsay, the word traveling among the foot soldiers is usually true. Hopefully it will be someone useful to the Decepticon cause… preferably a Seeker.

Perhaps the meeting will be in regards to this possible new arrival. I stepped into the dark room (much like the rest of the _Nemesis_) and leisurely moved to stand next to Knockout. The vain ground pounder and his assistant were chatting amongst themselves, while the rest of the mechs in the room stood in a tense silence. I noticed Soundwave at his monitor, ignoring all of us, as he normally does. I discreetly rolled my optics and looked away.

That mech never fails to make everyone, at the very least, _slightly_ nervous. He is always watching the activities of everyone on the _Nemesis _through a surveillance system no one can see. He's more irritating than intimidating to me personally since he interferes with my plans at the worst times possible, destroying them completely. Uprooting Megatron from the throne is difficult enough, but his lapdog only makes everything many times worse. I have yet to find a successful way to get around him and pursue my goal to rule the Decepticons.

However, there is one upside to him stopping my plans. Soundwave doesn't humiliate me in front of the entire Decepticon crew, unlike Megatron, who takes great pleasure in making me lose my dignity before others.

As I looked back at Soundwave, who had stopped working at his monitor and turned around to face the rest of the mechs in the room, a revelation struck me. Soundwave seldom attended meetings. The information discussed at such occasions, Soundwave already knows. There's no need for him to be here unless this meeting has something directly to do with the mech. My wings quivered slightly as I thought to myself. If this had to do with him, what was Megatron planning on telling us? He rarely told the other officers anything about Soundwave unless something incredibly important was taking place. But, if something important was happening, what could be so significant that Soundwave would be in attendance in this assembly?

Before I could question any further, unmistakable heavy footsteps sounded. Megatron walked steadily into the room from a different door, one more hidden than the others. Every mech in the room, with the exception of Soundwave and I, straightened up and gave our leader a formal greeting. The salutations were met with a piercing predatory glance as he prowled past a few rightfully nervous mechs and stood before us. He briefly surveyed us all before speaking.

"I'm sure all of you have heard of a 'new arrival' through rumors around the ship."

Knockout boldly spoke up. "Yes, we have, Lord Megatron. But who is it, exactly?"

Megatron didn't seem to mind being cut off and gained a small, unnerving grin. He motioned for Soundwave to step forward with a thick clawed servo.

"Soundwave, bring him here." Said mech nodded once and turned to leave the room. The silence soon grew awkward and tense as we waited for Soundwave to return with this new mech. The inactivity of the room led my processor to wander and speculate on who the mech was. I didn't have long to think about that when Soundwave swiftly returned. I couldn't help but gasp along with the others once I saw who this mech was.

"Optimus Prime? How is that even possible?" Breakdown said, absolute shock written all over his faceplates as he stared wide eyed at the recharging sparkling. Knockout, however, was busy laughing his aft off.

"The second biggest bot in this galaxy was _pathetic_ when he was a sparkling!"

The Vehicon officers mumbled amongst themselves. I heard one Vehicon, who the others had taken a liking to calling 'Steve', remark that Prime was 'kind of cute'.

Remaining rather... _unimpressed_ by the sleeping sparkling in Soundwave's arms, I turned to our leader. "What do you plan on doing with the sparkling, Lord Megatron? Snuffing his spark, perhaps?"

Megatron sent me a heated glare which I promptly ignored. "No, you imbecile. We are going to raise him to believe in the Decepticon cause."

His response caught me off guard and I sputtered slightly in surprise. I thought that after all the millennia Optimus Prime and Megatron fought each other, our leader would take the first chance he had to terminate Prime, regardless of what state he was in. The others were just as perplexed as I was. I vocalized my first reaction.

"Uh, Master?"

Megatron gave a miniscule grin, baring his sharp denta, apparently taking pleasure in confusing me. "Raising him as our own would have a longer lasting effect on the Autobots than killing their precious leader. He will also be a useful addition to our ranks."

Immediately after Megatron completed his statement, the sparkling in Soundwave's arms began to stir. The room grew dead silent as the little one's optics onlined and opened. His blue optics are relatively bright, despite being dimmed from recharge. All of us stared at the sparkling as he attempted to stretch in Soundwave's arms and curled back into a semi-fetal position. His tiny black servos were balled into weak fists close to his shiny faceplates. The sparkling looked around at each mech in the room, optics heavily lidded. The way he glanced sleepily at us told me that he did not recognize us as his enemies. Whatever transformed him into this vulnerable state must have affected his processor, as well as his frame.

"Keeping him is a good plan, but what about the others? They won't like having to take care of their sworn enemy." Knockout said. He had a valuable point. If we are going to raise him as our own, the sparkling's safety is a concern.

"I am well aware of the fact that not everyone will agree with my decision. But _that_ doesn't matter. That sparkling-" Megatron waved a clawed servo towards the little one. "-is to be treated with utmost care."

Megatron lowered his voice to a deadly tone, succeeding in evoking fright in all of our sparks. "If any harm comes to him, the person at fault will be dealt with my me personally."

I mentally sighed. His words should not be mistaken for concern of the sparkling's safety. He only wishes for the little one's pure trust to be secured. If someone causes the sparkling harm, he will begin to distrust them. Our leader essentially wishes to groom him for a high rank. He's most likely preparing him for the post of second in command. I glared subtly at the sparkling as my wings twitched in aggravation.

Not if _I_ can help it.

…Optimus's POV…

I awoke to see a multitude of sets of optics staring at me. Still partially in recharge, I stretched, feeling the tension in my joints ease. Even though I was in the heart of enemy territory, I had recharged well. I made no attempt to pull my CPU fully out of recharge as I looked around at the mechs in the room. I saw Knockout and his assistant Breakdown, as well as Starscream and a few Vehicons. I made the assumption that I was in Soundwave's arms, since the way I was being held felt familiar.

I drew my little servos closer to my faceplates and pulled my legs closer in, creating a small pocket of my own warmth. I knew Megatron was in the same room, though I did not see him in the shadows. His powerful electromagnetic field was instantly recognizable as I sensed even and rigid fluctuations meant to intimidate the other mechs in the room. I also sensed that the fluctuations were not aimed at me, but there is still the feeling of cold malice.

I know I must maintain my cover while I am here. I must behave like a normal sparkling. I looked at Megatron and he returned it, a frigid hardness in his optics that only the Decepticon warlord could successfully use. I resisted the urge to engage my battle mask, which I doubt would even work in my current condition, and gave him a warm, innocent smile. I could see his optics soften ever so slightly before swiftly solidifying. Megatron looked away, expression harder than before.

"Soudwave is his guardian and will in charge of our newest addition's well being," Megatron said. "However, his duties as surveillance officer may take much of his time. All of you must be prepared to care for the sparkling at any given moment, if that becomes the case."

The warlord turned halfway and gruffly dismissed the mechs in the room before leaving through a door I could not see. Soon after the Decepticon leader left the room, the Vehicons and Breakdown crowded around me. I am surprised that Soundwave did not move away from the attention that was undoubtedly unwanted. Looking past the chattering Decepticons, I noticed Starscream looking at me. Curious as to what would happen; I pointed at the Seeker and chirped cheerfully. The sound I made caught the mech off guard as the other mechs turned to look at the Seeker.

"That's Starscream, kid." Breakdown said lightly. "Maybe we should… give 'im a check-up." The blue mech looked at Soundwave, who silently nodded once. With that, I was passed over to Breakdown's slightly unsure servos. Careful to appear innocent, I looked up into Breakdown's yellow optic. The mech gave a small smile before walking out of the room, Knockout beside him.

…

Once we arrived in the medbay, I was put on a berth and given the standard physical for a sparkling. Knockout was rough in handling me and Breakdown could see that I was uncomfortable with the red mech. He stepped in and volunteered to finish my physical. Knockout huffed and walked over to check on a monitor near the medical berth I was sitting on.

"You're a quiet little mech, aren't ya?" Breakdown observed before giving me an energon treat on a short metal stick. Having always had a weak spot for sweets, I promptly put the treat in my mouth, sending Breakdown a thankful look.

"I wonder what caused him to turn into a sparkling." Knockout wondered from across the room. Breakdown shrugged.

"Who knows? I don't even think the Autobots know how this happened." The blue mech turned to his friend. Still sucking on the delicious treat, I looked around. There was a shelf near the back of the medical berth. Many of the items on it were low enough for me to reach. Then I noticed the partially opened can of paint.

Letting my child like curiosity get the better of me, I crawled over to the can and opened the lid.

…Knockout's POV…

I never really liked children. The older ones were fine but it's the little ones I don't like. I like them even less now that I have such a wonderful frame and paintjob to maintain. A long time ago I found out the hard way that children are little _monsters_. They get into everything and are a sure-fire way to mess up a good paintjob like mine.

So even if this sparkling is well behaved, I'm going to steer clear of him.

I looked over at my friend while he gave the little twerp his check up. Breakdown seems to like the little guy. I don't see how, beyond him being cute. But then again, that's probably why.

"I wonder what caused him to turn into a sparkling." I thought aloud.

Breakdown turned to me and shrugged. "Who knows? I don't even think the Autobots know how this happened."

I leaned on an elevated medical berth. "Maybe."

"So, you think he'll get his memory back?" My blue friend asked. I arched an optic ridge as I shifted my weight.

"Even if he does, what can he do? He's just a sparkling, trapped in the massive Decepticon warship. I doubt he could even find a secure escape route." Breakdown couldn't say anything in response as the medbay door opened. I furrowed my optic ridges as I stood up straight. Starscream? What was he doing here? I could tell from how he looked at the sparkling that he wanted nothing to do with him. The Second in Command walked in leisurely with his servo behind his back, like he was merely coming in for a report.

"Knockout, Breakdown, I would like for you two to- ACK!" I blinked and there was a giant splat of red paint all over his faceplates. I tried (and failed miserably) to not laugh at Starscream as he started frantically wiping the paint from his face, wings halfway lowered in anger.

I already know who threw it at Screamer. Normally I'd be really pissed off if somebody messed with my top quality paint, but that was hilarious!

"What in the Pit?! That little cretin! How dare he throw paint at me!" Starscream exclaimed. I looked over to see the little sparkling doing a lot of giggling, hand dripping paint on the medical berth he was sitting on.

"I don't know, I thought it was kinda funny." Breakdown snorted, trying to not laugh. Starscream snarled in response and swung his claws at him, which Breakdown easily dodged. Starscream turned and stomped out of the medbay.

"Primus fragging, Pit spawned, glitch-headed..." Geez. He listed off a number of colorful curses as he went down the hall... I glanced over at the sparkling, who gave me an innocent look, as if to say 'What? I couldn't help it'. I smiled at him.

"You're not bad for a little kid."

...Optimus's POV...

I am not the type of mech to do such things, but I found surprisingly great humor in throwing paint at Starscream. I allowed the child in me to react, letting myself laugh to my spark's content. Knockout and Breakdown found humor in my little paint slinging moment as well. My laughing subsided a bit and I gave Knockout an innocent, child like look. So long as they believe I do not remember them, I am safe from harm. Knockout even approved of me throwing paint at the now angry Seeker.

I am going to enjoy being here with Starscream.

**Ooh, Now Optimus is going to start messing with our favorite Seeker! What do you think he going to do to Starscream next?**

**I want to thank all of you who waited patiently for this update. I'll make sure the next chapter comes soon than this one did.  
**

**I plan on there being some more direct contact between Megatron and Sparkling Prime in the next chapter and on visiting the Autobot Base. Primus knows how Ratchet is feeling right now.  
**

**Got any ideas for future chapters? Drop a review and I may use them! See you in the next chap! ;D  
**


	6. Candy

**The wait is over! You can now read the sixth chapter of Tiny. I do not own Transformers, but I do own this story.**

**Starts off in Ratchet's POV and goes from there.**

**Alright, let's get down to business!**

"_I-I didn't mean to..."_

I furiously pounded on the keyboard as I strained my optics staring at the green tinted monitor, Miko's feeble mutter before leaving the base repeating in my processor over and over. Optimus has been missing for a while now, and with every passing nanoklik, I grow more worried and stressed. I can't even imagine what may be happening to the little one now. With all the vorns of conflict between Megatron and Optimus, I doubt Megatron will-

_No_, I thought to myself, feeling my spark rate hitch. _I won't even think those thoughts. I _must_ have hope._ I shook my helm and shut my optics. It was becoming harder to refocus them. Occasionally, my normally firm grip on the controls of my optics would wane, and they would shift slightly in and out of focus. This only happened when I was very tired, which did not happen often. I have never gotten so tired so quickly in my entire life. Warnings were flashing before my optics, telling me that I urgently needed recharge. The only thing that bound me here was the driving urge to search and search until I located the _Nemesis_. I glared at the screen, trying to ignore the pain in my sore optics. Perhaps I am looking at the wrong frequency...

After twenty more minutes of meticulously searching a multitude of radio frequencies, my mind began to wander. Miko and the other humans had left a while ago with their guardians. Remembering what the little human did made my emotions flare up in rage. All the anger towards her has not moved, nor has it dissipated. Not in the slightest.

I am an easy mech to irritate; I am well aware of that. But few people have actually accomplished angering me. The human's foolish actions cost us our leader and possibly our only chance to win this Primus forsaken war. But now that I realize it, she committed an act even worse than that.

She put a sparkling in danger.

I slammed a fist down on the keyboard, gritting my denta. The girl couldn't even bring herself to look at me when she came through the Ground Bridge with Jack and Rafael. I could barely restrain myself from stomping the human into a bloody pulp when she said what happened to Optimus. I ground my denta harder, wearing down on the already worn plates. I could no longer focus on pinpointing the _Nemesis_, as hard as I tried. My lack of focus was beginning to arouse my ire once more. Suddenly, I felt a small servo touch my side. Looking down to my left, my gaze was met by soft blue and lavender ringed optics.

"Ratchet, you need to get some sleep," Arcee said, uncharacteristically gentle with her words. The blue femme had been badly impacted by this recent event, just as I had, but I see more mourning and sadness than anger.

"No, I don't." I said, harsher than intended.

"Look, I know how you feel. But searching for the _Nemesis_ until you go into stasis lock is not the way to go-"

I turned fully to her, staring her hard in the optics. "How else are we going to find the warship? It won't just magically appear for us." I instantly regretted the bitter sarcasm as soon as I saw Arcee give a miniscule flinch at my sharp tone. I looked down at her, optics softening considerably.

"I'm sorry, Arcee," I apologized. "I'm just... I'm just worried."

The look in her multicolored optics silently told me that she had accepted my apology. "Ratchet... I know you're worried about him. But... I _know_ he's unharmed."

"How do you know? How do you know he's still online, Arcee?" I muttered, averting my gaze from her optics. I needed to get a handle on my emotions before she had to witness the full force of them. The blue femme looked at me, the normal hardness long gone. What remained was the look of someone wishing to help those in need.

"I just know. I can feel it. In here." She pressed a servo over her spark, giving a small reassuring smile.

"Now you need to feel it and believe it. _In here_." Arcee gently pressed her warm servo on the plating over my spark. She kept her hand there, staring into my optics. The contact took me by surprise. She was never one for physical contact. In that instant, I could feel it as well. I honestly can't explain how... But at least I know and understand that the little one is unharmed. After that short, yet significant moment, Arcee pulled her small servo back and gazed at me.

"You should get some recharge. You're going to need it later." With that, she turned and walked down the hall, mostly likely towards her berthroom. I stared after her until she turned a corner. Glancing briefly back at the monitors, I decided that I did indeed need recharge.

...

Lying on my berth, I stared up at the ceiling. My darkened berthroom no longer seemed to be the place of comfort. The only thing that would truly help me is... out of reach.

I never realized that I could become so attached to the sparkling in such a short period of time. I know full well that my war scarred leader still resides within the body of the sparkling, but I can't help but think of him as a normal sparkling that needed to be cared for. I shuttered my optics and prepared my systems to power down for recharge. Just before I fell into the oblivion of sleep, I admitted something to myself that I known all along.

Optimus is _far_ more than just a sparkling that needed to be cared for to me.

...Optimus's POV...

I looked at Breakdown curiously as he spoke with his red friend. I was not paying enough attention to what he was saying to understand him fully, but I believe he was speaking about a frame buffer. After I had thrown the paint at Starscream, Breakdown proceeded to clean my servo off and placed me down back on the medical berth. Realizing that my energon treat was already gone, I chirped at the blue mech, gaining his attention. Knockout arched an optic ridge at me as his assistant turned away from him.

"What is it, kid?"

I held the short metal stick out at arm's length towards, hoping that Breakdown would understand what I meant. He just gave me a confused look. I revved my engines, which sounded more like a high pitched hum, and thrust the short stick in my mouth. Realization flooded his single optic as he understood what I was trying to tell him and laughed.

"Oh, you wanted another piece of candy! Here ya go, kid." I gratefully took the energon candy from him and started absently sucking on the treat. The moment after I had begun to truly enjoy the sweet, a stampede of Vehicons rushed through the medbay doors. Breakdown, Knockout and I looked up in surprise. Most of them appeared to be common laborers. However, there were a few warrior-class Vehicons amongst them. The workers all appeared to be damaged, the majority of them sporting rather serious burns. I could smell their burnt energon from the undoubtedly painful wounds. Some were being carried in, due to their injuries. One Vehicon in particular was being guided in by one of his fellow workers since his thin optic band was completely shattered, rendering the mech blind. The mech's optical remains were leaking a thin trail of energon down his faceplates, which he was holding tightly with his servo. My optics widened. What could have happened to lead to such terrible casualties?

"What happened, Steve?" Breakdown asked while Knockout sighed and walked over to the tool shelves, preparing his tools for the impending triage.

One of the warrior-class Vehicons stepped forward. "There was an accident in the engine room. One of the engine coolers malfunctioned and a fire broke out. These mechs were burned trying to put out the fire." I mentally nodded in understanding. The engine room is one of the most dangerous rooms in space vessels, and a ship this size only adds to the danger in that crucial room. Normally, a mech would attempt to leave such a room if a fire occurred. Being the engineers of the _Nemesis_, that was not an option for these Vehicons. The ship constantly depends on these mechs to keep the massive vessel in the air.

"Well don't just stand there. I need all mechs with severe burns to..." Knockout relayed sharp instructions for the injured victims and much movement ensued. Most of the mechs were shifting around the room while other, more severely injured bots lay down on the available medical berths to be treated first. The room suddenly seemed to grow dark and I stared up to see Breakdown standing over me.

"Sorry, kid, but I'm gonna have to put you down on the floor. A bot needs the berth you're sitting on." I bit down slightly harder on the energon treat as the big mech picked me up under my arms and placed me gently down on my pedes. I wobbled slightly, but, to my surprise, I did not fall. Breakdown's attention was drawn elsewhere as he proceeded to help his red friend in treating the burn victims. I stood there for a moment longer, watching the warrior-class Vehicons leave the medbay and decided that I would only be in the way of their treating the injured. I do not wish to disrupt their work.

Slightly unstable on my pedes, I walked over to the door. I went through the automatic door unnoticed by the numerous mechs in the medbay. Still sucking on my energon treat, I moved along the wall. In case I fall or grow tired, I will keep close to it.

I have much to explore.

...Megatron's POV: Ten Minutes Later- Elswhere in the _Nemesis_...

My decision to keep the sparkling took all of my subordinates by surprise, as I expected. I may have been battling that mech for many vorns, but I would not pass up such a golden opportunity. Raising the Prime as our own would not only prove to be a useful immediate asset, but he will also be useful in the vorns to come. Once we Decepticons seize control of this wretched planet, I can use the mech to attract incoming Cybertronians. I already know that certain mechs and femmes will only follow Prime. But now that the Decepticons have control over him, his loyal followers would be significantly less likely to join with the Autobots. He can also be used as a political center piece, showing that Decepticons will stop at nothing to do what we please, not even the mighty Optimus Prime.

I sat on my throne, pondering the future plans for our newest addition. It has become a habit of the entire crew, and I, to speak the alien language English on and off the warship. This sparkling is essentially the start of the next generation of Decepticons. I won't have him learning in an alien tongue, especially not one of the pathetic humans' languages. I tapped a thick claw twice on the armrest of my throne. I will assign one of my mechs to teach the sparkling later.

Right now, I will go observe the temperament of the sparkling; see how he responds to me. If he is going to be on this ship, he's going to get used to my presence around him. I stood and headed out the door towards Soundwave's work station. He should be watching over to our newest addition.

I moved at my own pace, in no hurry to reach my destination. The few Vehicons stood at attention along the walls when I passed. I glared at one of the mechs as I walked by him, taking pleasure in watching him grow visibly tense. I normally do not harm my subordinates unless given a reason (Starscream being the exception), but this fear they have of me keeps them all in line.

Upon stepping into Soundwave's workstation, I spotted the silent mech working on his monitor. He turned halfway to stare at me through his black visor. I proceeded to ask him where the sparkling was, since I did not see him with Soundwave. The mech tapped into his security system, turned to fully face me and displayed a video recording on his visor. The sparkling was sitting on a medical berth in Knockout's medbay playing with an open can of red paint while the vain medic and his one eyed assistant discussed a topic I didn't care to pay any attention to. Starscream walked into the medbay and appeared to be struck in the face by something. I leaned in closer, curious to see what angered my second-in-command. Upon seeing what exactly happened, I shifted back, allowing a small chuckle.

It will certainly be interesting living with this sparkling.

...Optimus's POV...

I had yet to encounter anyone in the halls, though I doubt I have been outside the medbay for very long. Every door I passed looked identical at a glance, but I was drawn to one in particular. This door was slightly wider and sported a different, more decorative design. Ancient Cybertronian glyphs were etched into the door, glyphs I had only seen on the great towers of Iacon, originating from the long past Golden Age.

The child within urged me to attempt to enter the room because it was starkly different from the other doors I had seen. Unable to think of a reason as to why I should not enter the room, I stared up at its door, absently gnawing on the sweet Breakdown gave me earlier. Cautious in my movements, I shakily stepped towards the massive door. It automatically opened, welcoming my tiny form into a very large room.

The room inside was quite large and lit with a soft, bright white light. Numerous datapads were fixed to the dark grey walls. In the center of the room, there were several simple, yet beautifully hand crafted black chairs next to several wall mounted shelves filled with datapads and various other items. There was a large desk in the corner of the room, though I am too small to see what is on it.

The strength in my legs weakened, and I sunk down to my servos and knees. Inquisitively gazing around the room, I crawled towards the chair closest to the datapad shelf. Realizing that I will not be able to get up into the seat of the chair without the assistance of another bot, I sat down and looked around once more. The soft white light was a sharp contrast from the dark wall and furniture. The room was set at a very comfortable temperature and there was the faint, pleasant scent of sweet oil cake and fine energon wine lingering in the air.

A room of such luxury I already know is not owned by a common Vehicon. It most likely belongs to a higher ranking officer- Suddenly I heard the door open. My helm whipped around, large optics wide. Piercing red optics stared back at me. Incapable of averting my own gaze, I instantly recognized the tall form standing in the doorway.

It was Megatron.

He slowly walked towards me, heavy footfalls steady. Had I been a grown mech, I would have onlined my weapons system and aimed my rifles at the Decepticon. But to my horror, I was paralyzed with fear. The child within me seized full control of my motor functions, keeping me from moving.

"What are you doing in here, _child_?" The Decepticon warlord growled, narrowing his fiery red optics. He drew closer and I could only blink as I felt my spark skip a beat. I was losing the fight for control over my own body to the scared child within me. The warrior within screamed at me to put more distance between my defenseless frame and the towering warlord, something I was unable to do. I heard myself whine and felt tears streaked down my faceplates as Megatron loomed darkly over me. I can only wonder what Megatron planned on doing with me. I had invaded his private quarters.

His next statement, however, caught me off guard.

...Megatron's POV...

I have to say that I am more surprised than angry to see the sparkling sitting in the middle of the floor of my room. I'll have to have a little _chat_ with Knockout and his half-blind assistant for letting the sparkling out of their sight, regardless of whether or not they are treating the injured. My room is a considerable distance away from the medbay. He is determined for one so young.

I admire that.

Deciding that I would be angry at Knockout and not the sparkling, I spoke again to the little one. "You have nothing to fear, sparkling."

He looked up at me with large bright optics, blue tinted tears flowing down his shiny faceplates. I was ever so slightly disturbed to see the sparkling so frightened. I quickly stomped out the foreign sensation and stooped down to pick the sparkling up. The little one squeaked helplessly as I held him in my servo and placed him gently down in the chair he was originally sitting near. His tears had stopped and he stared at me, a timid, innocent expression on his faceplates.

"I saw that you threw paint at Starscream. A bold move, for one now so skittish and quiet." The sparkling blinked back at me, grabbing at the end of a short metal stick that was partially in his mouth. Someone must have given the child candy. A strange feeling that I couldn't identify washed over me as I gazed at the little sparkling sitting in one of my handcrafted chairs. I couldn't eradicate it, so I suppressed and buried the emotion.

For a moment longer I watched the sparkling eat his candy. Optimus Prime no longer exists and, now that he will be raised by us Decepticons, he never will exist. Calling him 'Optimus' is unfitting and obsolete, and will only evoke the urge for me to attempt to terminate him. I blinked as I heard the sparkling attempt to crunch on the energon treat on the short stick. I chuckled when he whined in a frustrated manner after his failed attempt to bite down on the candy.

"You will be called Parvolus." Yes, that will be his name. Parvolus looked up from his little war (that he was losing) with the energon treat and chirped, a cheerful expression on his face, as if to approve of the name I chose for him. All fear has dissipated from him and was replaced with the happy innocence of a child.

Parvolus held out a tiny black servo, reaching towards me. I stood there, unsure of what he wanted. He reached out his other servo, holding his arms above his head. I scoffed, understanding what he wanted me to do.

"Do not expect me to pick you up, child." Parvolus lowered his arms and gained a 'kicked puppy look', as I once heard a Vehicon say. I looked away.

I am Lord Megatron. I survived the gladiatorial pits in Kaon and Slaughter City and succeeded in every match. I have gone up against the fiercest of warriors in the pits and armies of Autobots in the field, emerging victorious. I am one of the few Decepticons who can hold his own against Optimus Prime in a one-on-one close combat match. I have done so more times than I bother to remember.

How is it that I can't resist the optics of one sparkling?!

...

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" I arched an optic ridge as I looked down at the top of tiny sparkling's blue helm, while he sat close to me in my lap. I was seated in one of my chairs as the sparkling pressed close to my abdomen. Parvolus offered no immediate response, only releasing a small purring sound. I should feel frustrated with myself for being not being strong enough to resist the sparkling... but for whatever reason, the feeling never came.

Parvolus's purring gradually stopped and I glanced down at him, only to groan in frustration. The child fell to sleep on me! He had curled up, servos drawn close to his faceplates. His mouth was slightly open, helm resting against my midsection, oblivious of my gazing at him. I leaned back in my chair, assuming a more comfortable position. If I know anything about sparklings, it's that they recharge for a long time. I couldn't help but smirk when I saw the sparkling's foot twitch in his sleep.

I _may_ enjoy raising Parvolus.

**And... done! Chapter six is done! Told you it would come faster than chapter five did. Megatron seems to be having a bit trouble admitting to himself that he likes Sparkling Prime. We all know you love him, Megzy. You can't deny it.**

**Optimus may seem to say and do things that are out of character at certain points in this story, but that is because the 'child within', as Optimus keeps referring to, is taking more control of him more frequently. **

**Oil cake and energon wine is indeed a Cybertronian food and drink. I guess Megatron likes cake. Slaughter City is a real Cybertronian city-state. Oh, and **_**Parvolus**_** is Latin for tiny, little or young. Fitting, if you ask me.**

**I plan on Sparkling Prime having some **_**quality time**_** with Starscream (he he ;)), as well as Soundwave in the next chapter, but I'm a bit stuck on what would happen. Do you have any ideas?**

**See you all later and let me know what you think! ;D**

**P.S. I drew the engine room accident idea from the _Titanic_. It was because of those engineers in the bowels of the ship that the damaged vessel stayed afloat as long as it did. Had it not been for them, the _Titanic_ would have sunk a lot faster. Every last one of those brave engineers died, still working to keep the ship up for as long as possible.  
**


	7. Care

**Preeesenting… 'Tiny', chapter seven! So glad to be back here with you guys. :D**

**I don't own Transformers, but I do own this story. Starts in Soundwave's POV and goes from there. **

**Optimus is taught a little lesson in language and Miko makes a discovery she would have never thought possible. **

**Let's get going!**

Yet again, I was surprised.

Lord Megatron came to my workstation, carrying the sparkling in his servos. He did not tell me how he got the sparkling, when I left the little one with Knockout and his assistant, Breakdown. I expected to see Lord Megatron's normal facial expression: hard with a slightly hidden, cold, calculated malice. I was met with another surprise.

The Decepticon leader appeared to be almost relaxed as he held the little one. I can only tell this because I have known our leader for so long, and even then, I can't always calculate how he is feeling at any given moment using my sensitivity to electric pulses in the CPU.

"He will be called Parvolus."

Our leader placed the sparkling in my servos after stating the sparkling's chosen name and looked down at me.

"Watch the sparkling, Soundwave. I will see to it that the medical staff is no longer… _incompetent_ in watching over a single child." His tone was sharper than his usual smooth growl, indicating that there was perhaps more than a twinge of anger. I merely nodded once and watched our leader leave my workstation, tapping into my security system and monitoring the medbay. I may need to intervene if Lord Megatron decides to inflict bodily harm on Knockout and Breakdown. They are two of the most knowledgeable medics we have on the _Nemesis_. After Lord Megatron left the room, I looked down at the sparkling in my servos. He gazed back up at me, large optics partially shut. I considered the circumstances of this situation.

He appears to have just recently come out of recharge. Lord Megatron stated that the medical staff is incompetent at watching over a sparkling, implying that the little one left the medbay without Knockout and Breakdown taking notice. Since Lord Megatron came here with the sparkling, it is likely that he wandered into our leader's private quarters. I expected Lord Megatron to be angry with the sparkling, but he has possibly redirected his anger towards Knockout and his assistant for losing sight of the little one. The little one's sleepy optics indicate that he was with our leader for some time. Normally, Lord Megatron would not have allowed such a situation occur, since it involved him in such a personal manner. My thoughts were interrupted briefly by the sparkling quietly revving his engines and stretching in my servos, smiling innocently at me.

…But, perhaps Lord Megatron is growing attached to the little one.

The sparkling, now called Parvolus, chirped happily in my slender servos and gazed into my visor. I am well aware of the work that must be done, but, watching over the sparkling is a priority that is just as high. I walked over to a chair in my work station and set the little one down. He stared up at me with bright optics as I turned to a nearby shelf and took down an audio-video datapad. Selecting a program for the little one to watch, I moved back over to Parvolus. I set the datapad in front of the sparkling, immediately drawing his attention to the device. After watching the sparkling stare into the brightly lit datapad for a few moments, I turned back to my monitor and scanned the various frequencies I currently had open. The little one is occupied at the moment. I listened to the sparkling chirp and buzz happily as he watched the program on the datapad.

Since the little one is here with us Decepticons, I'm confident that Lord Megatron wishes for the little one to be taught and raised like a Decepticon. He was with the Autobots first, and has, without a doubt, learned English from their humans. Lord Megatron wouldn't want the next generation speaking in a primitive, alien language. I will take it upon myself to teach the little one how read, speak and write in Decepticon dialect.

...Optimus's POV…

I was thoroughly enjoying the animated program on the datapad. This particular one I remember watching on Cybertron when I was a youngling. For a reason I could not name, I never forgot this program. I sat crossed legged in front of the datapad, chirping in delight at the bright colors and animated movement of the characters. Soundwave was a short distance away, working on his monitor. I gained the feeling that I was still being watched by the silent mech. Having looked around earlier, I saw nothing unusual about his workstation. It was very impersonal, but perhaps that is how he prefers this small room to be.

Before I realized it, the program had ended and silence filled the room once more. Soundwave turned away from his monitor and took down another datapad. But instead of turning on another program, as I expected, he pulled another chair in front of mine and sat down. I remained where I was, curious as to what my silent guardian planned on doing. Soundwave pulled out a stylus stored in the side of the datapad, visor lighting up. I blinked up at him as I saw what appeared to be a glyph of some kind on Soundwave's visor. He then played a short recording of a sharp clicking sound and drew out the same glyph on the screen of the datapad with the stylus. Thankfully it did not take me long to realize what he was doing.

He was showing me how to read, write, as well as speak in the Decepticons' language.

A very small number of Autobots have been rumored to decode this developed language. Those bots were also rumored to have been deactivated before they could share their discoveries. I attempted to decode the language myself at one point, but was unsuccessful. This is an opportunity that I simply cannot pass by.

Soundwave motioned toward my small servo, encouraging me to write the character as he had. I did as I was told and used a small black digit to write out the first character below Soundwave's. I was disappointed to see that the character I wrote was incredibly sloppy compared to Soundwave's, but that feeling was quickly dispelled by Soundwave's recorded word of encouragement.

"_Very good."_

I smiled at the silent mech and clicked twice consecutively, as Soundwave had, saying the first character in Decepticon dialect. The silent mech nodded once and told me through a recording to repeat the character, most likely so I could grow used to making the sound. The language relied on the primal components of speech, similarly to early Cybertronian languages. Neocybex evolved from these early languages, but now relies heavily on the function of a single section of the CPU. I now realize that learning this language is a step back into our seemingly forgotten history. Perhaps I can appreciate the language for recalling the ways of the old, a history our society before the war worked to file away and promptly forget.

We continued in the lesson, my handwriting in the Decepticon language slowly improving. I had trouble with a few of the characters, but Soundwave's silent encouragement urged me to keep repeating them until I could properly say them. There were several low, guttural sounds accompanying a few of the characters that I had difficulty with. Had I been a grown mech, I would not have such a problem with these sounds, given my baritone voice. Now that I am technically younger, my voice is of a higher pitch, making it difficult for me to pronounce those particular characters that require a guttural tone.

We were almost complete when a thought entered my processor. Soundwave was not speaking in recording when he said each character. He was speaking in his given voice that he rarely used. It must take a certain level of what he considers affection to prompt him to use his own voice with anyone, let alone myself. Soundwave was not one to use his voice for any reason. I looked up from the datapad I writing on, gazed into his visor and I received the sensation that he was looking into my optics.

I appreciate this window into Soundwave's true personality, albeit a very small window.

…Starscream's POV: One Hour Later – Elsewhere in the _Nemesis_…

I cannot believe this!

How is it that _I_ get stuck with this annoying little cretin when _Soundwave_ is supposed to be watching him?!

That silent mech had Steve drop him off at my quarters just when I was about to leave with orders from Soundwave of temporary relief of my duties as second-in-command. Now I can't do anything _but_ watch this sparkling. I already know that Megatron knows I'm supposed to be watching him, so I can't just leave him here and not expect Megatron to threaten to blow my CPU out. I glared down at the little sparkling as he crawled around my room.

I am the second-in-command of the Decepticon army, not a babysitter!

I growled quietly and walked past the sparkling, heading over to my personal monitor. Recently I have taken a certain… _interest_ in the 'Internet'. It is an excellent way to occupy time since I'm normally sucked into the seemingly infinite sea of data. The 'lolcat' pictures are strangely alluring. I sat down in my chair and briefly glanced at the sparkling, who was just sitting on the floor, staring up at me. Or, rather, staring at my wings. I sighed and rolled my optics, turning back to my monitor.

…

Suddenly I heard a loud crash, scaring the scrap out of me. My wings automatically lowered at the spook I received and I whipped my helm around to see what exactly caused the noise. Upon seeing what had happened, I snarled loudly.

"What in the Pit are you doing?!" I shot up from my chair, wings quivering in anger. The sparkling had somehow managed to knock over my entire collection of history datapads! All of the datapads were all over the floor with the sparkling sitting in the middle of mess. He was just sitting there with tears in his optics, as if I cared.

"Great, now I have to reorganize all of these datapads. You had better be glad Soundwave is your guardian, otherwise you would have been long gone," I snarled hotly as I crouched to collect my precious belongings, only to find a few of them shattered. Some of these datapads were my personal journals and old (as well as recent) stored transmissions from Thundercracker and Skywarp. I sighed mentally when I saw that none of those transmission datapads were shattered. I'd rather my journal datapads be shattered than the transmission datapads. They are all the evidence I have to tell me that Thunder and Sky are still alive. All of the sudden, I heard a soft sound coming from behind me.

I froze.

What in the Primus fragging PIT did I just _do_?

…Optimus's POV…

I had allowed the child within near total control and curiously wandered up to a large shelf of datapads. Before I realized it, I had knocked down the majority of the datapads and now possessed a sore helm. I at first looked up at Starscream, who swore and yelled at me, rushing over to pick up the datapads.

It never occurred to me how much it hurt to be yelled at, regardless of who it was. It was no better that I am now more sensitive to this because of the child within. I never meant to anger Starscream; I merely wished to take down a datapad. He had an extensive collection of recorded history, particularly focusing on the city of Vos, a place I know little about.

The child within froze and I had no choice but to grow still as well. Childish sadness welled up in my spark and I could not suppress the soft sob that escaped me. That sob grew into a wail as Starscream understood what was happening. He tried quieting me to no prevail.

He attempted giving me a datapad, which did nothing to calm the child within down. Then he tried to play a traditional song of the Seekers. The warrior within was more intrigued, while the child within wished to hear none of it. He tried a multitude of other methods, except one I know would have calmed me down.

Holding me close to him would have calmed me down significantly.

I stared through teary optics at Starscream and saw the panicked expression on his faceplates. I honestly believe he is afraid to pick me up, though I know that he would never admit that.

The child within seemed to only grow more upset, seizing more control than I would have ever allowed. I fought for control over my own frame, only to find the full force I now know as the emotions of an upset child. I now see that attempting to suppress such emotions is futile, and that I should not fight them. Withdrawing into the quiet comfort of my own mind, I watched through my own optics as I let the child within have even more control.

I can only wonder how Starscream plans on calming the child within down.

…Steve's POV: Ten Minutes Later…

I stopped and stared at Starscream's door. I dropped the sparkling off not long ago and I can already hear the kid crying.

"Geez, what did he do to the kid?" I nodded, agreeing with my friend, Shank. We were just walking down the hall delivering reports the top Vehicon officer, Volk, when we heard all the commotion.

"Should we go help him out?" Shank asked me. I just shrugged. Starscream really hates being bothered for any reason, even if it's important. Vehicons who bother him for a reason he thinks isn't important risk getting clawed. I perked up slightly when I heard heavy footfalls from somewhere down the hall. It was a little ways away, but I already knew who it was. Lord Megatron was somewhere down the halls, and I know Starscream doesn't want to be caught with an upset sparkling. Lord Megatron might seriously deactivate him this time. I sighed.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to go help Starscream." Shank just gave me a crazy look. I waved him off and headed over to Starscream's room. Bracing myself, I keyed in the emergency override code to the door and looked in. What I saw inside basically confirmed the general opinions of just about all the Vehicons on the ship.

Starscream will NEVER have kids.

"Good! You're here! Watch the sparkling!" Starscream just picked the kid up and shoved him into my servos. I looked down at the crying sparkling and back up at our second-in-command.

"But, uh, Commander Soundwave said-" Starscream's optic twitched at my protests.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT HE SAID! Just watch the sparkling!"

"Alright, I'll watch the sparkling." I quickly backed off and headed back over to Shank, who was still holding those reports we were supposed to give Volk a while ago. As soon as the kid got comfortable in my servos, he calmed down. We both kind of just looked at the sparkling for a moment before I just pulled out a cleaning rag I had left in my subspace and wiped the kid's eyes.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Shank asked me. I looked at him.

"What do you think, stupid? We're going to watch the sparkling until Soundwave comes and gets him."

"Alright. And don't call me stupid, Tripwire."

"Don't call me Tripwire. I prefer the nickname 'Steve'." We bickered back and forth the way we normally do as we walked down to the Rec Room. Thankfully there was nobody in there, aside from Volk. He complained a bit about the late reports but quickly stopped when he saw the sparkling. After that, he started panicking. And whenever he panics, his usually deep voice goes up to a higher pitch. You can never take him seriously like that!

"You kidnapped the sparkling?! Do you know what Lord Megatron would do to you if he saw with him? What he would do to all of us?" I rolled my optics behind my visor band. Volk's gonna crash his CPU giving himself a panic attack like that. I learned that the hard way.

"Volk, calm down. Starscream charged me with watching the kid." I adjusted my grip on the sparkling and cradled him in my arms, so he'll be more comfortable. His optics were enormous compared to his small size. Optimus Prime was _really_ tiny when he was a sparkling.

"Hey, I heard that Lord Megatron's going to call him 'Parvolus'." Shank said after we calmed Volk down.

"Well, maybe we should call him that." Volk said, regaining his composure. Shank, Volk, and a few other Vehicons who had overheard us talking crowded around me so they could get a good look at the sparkling. Most of us haven't even seen a sparkling before this. Thankfully, one of the older Vehicons were there. Rudder was a pretty old Vehicon medic, and I already know he knows how to take care of a sparkling.

"Rudder, you got any games for us to play?" His yellow visor band grew brighter at Shank's question. The older bot turned to go down the hall.

"I'll be right back."

…

Parvolus was really enjoying this game we were playing. I think Rudder made it himself to pass the time, because I don't remember playing anything like this back on Cybertron. It was like the human game, Jenga, only with metal blocks. He always laughed and giggled when the tower fell after someone pulled out a block. I guess he's fine with all of us being around him; he seemed to like being around us Vehicons. By that time, a number of Vehicons had stopped by to see Parvolus. A lot of people didn't believe that Parvolus was even on the warship. They thought it was just a rumor going around.

"Seems to like you, Steve," Rudder said from his chair across the room. Parvolus hadn't moved from next to me after I had put him down on the floor and sat down on the floor with him. Shank laughed when the sparkling shifted closer to me as he pulled out one of the blocks from the tower. Volk stood off to the side and grumbled about how much trouble we could get into and I just looked down at the chirping sparkling. The tower fell again, getting a roar of laughter from the other Vehicons that had gathered around us. Parvolus started laughing as the pieces clattered to the ground, clapping his tiny servos.

Soundwave is a great guardian and all, but he isn't the most fun bot in the universe. Shank and I will show the sparkling how to have some real fun on the _Nemesis_.

…Miko's POV: Autobot Outpost Omega One…

I know I messed up. I messed up big time. But I want to help fix it.

Looked around the dark main room, I spotted Ratchet. He was sitting at a desk he had set up in front of the monitor. He had his head down. I crept closer to him. When I saw his face, I sighed in relief. He's slee- uh, _recharging_. He must've tired himself out.

The monitor was blinking with a picture of the _Nemesis_. It only does that when it found something important. Really important.

I told Bulkhead I was going to get a ride home from Agent Fowler, but I really stayed here so I could help find Optimus. I want to set things right. I stared at the monitor for a second longer. Wait a minute… Those are the _Nemesis's_ coordinates! Maybe I can sneak on their ship and get Optimus back!

I tiptoed up the stairs and ran over to the computer Raf used to open the Ground Bridge. A second later the Bridge lit up and I looked back at Ratchet, hoping the light of the Bridge didn't wake him up. Good, he's still sleeping. I took a deep breath and ran through the Ground Bridge.

…

I tiptoed into the _Nemesis_, mostly staying in the shadows. I'm never going to get over how big this ship really is. Just the room that I'm in is freaking huge. I saw the door open and I ducked back into a corner, making sure I wasn't seen. A Con had walked through (I think they're called Vehicons) and went down the hallway outside. I looked around. There were around five or six other Vehicons and they looked like they were leaving. I watched all of them leave- no, wait, there's one left. He had a yellow optic band and looked like he was sleeping in the chair over there. It'll be easy to sneak past him.

Suddenly, I heard this chirping noise.

What the heck is that? I looked around, trying to figure out what made the noise. It didn't take me long to see it. I gasped and ran over. It was Optimus! He was playing with these metal blocks and making a tower. He hadn't noticed me when I ran over, so I called his name.

That caught his attention.

He looked at me, instantly recognizing me. His huge optics lit up brighter than ever and he broke out in an enormous smile. "Meeko!"

I blinked back the tears as I went over and hugged him tight. Optimus returned the hug and kept clicking in a happy tone. I can finally bring him back! We can get him back. I started back towards the blue-green light of the open Ground Bridge portal.

"Come on, Optimus. Let's get you home." The happy light in his optics instantly disappeared. I gave a confused look. Huh? What's wrong?

Suddenly Optimus got really stiff and looked towards the door. I cocked my head to the side.

"What? What's up?" He looked back at me, a completely different light in his optics. He started tugging me towards the Ground Bridge frantically.

"H- He cum… He cummin'!"

"Who's 'he'?" I asked, walking back over to the Ground Bridge. Optimus just shook his head and started pushing me into the Ground Bridge.

"Wait! What's going on?" I never got an answer when he pushed me through the Ground Bridge. I turned around just before the Bridge closed to see Megatron walk into the room. He saw Optimus sitting there and _gently_ picked him up! Megatron _gently_ picked him up! What in the world is going on?!

I bolted back into the base. The coordinates on the monitor for the _Nemesis_ were gone. We can't get back to the Nemesis, at least not now. I looked over to see Ratchet, who still had his head down at his desk.

"Ratchet! Wake up!"

His head shot up from the desk and as soon as he saw me, he glared. "Miko, _what_ in the Pit are you still doing here?"

"No time for that! I've got to tell you something."

"Is the base on fire?" Ratchet asked sarcastically. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared back at him.

"Ratchet, I was just on the Nemesis and I saw Optimus." He stared at me for a second and spoke calmly.

"Well, did you get him back?"

I shook my head. "No. It looked like he didn't want to leave." Ratchet scoffed.

"I'm serious! He pushed me back through the Ground Bridge. But that's not what I wanted to tell you."

Doc Bot turned to me and stood up, looking down at me. "Well, what is it?"

I have no idea how Ratch' is going to react to this, so I'll just hope for the best. I took a deep breath and braced myself. "I saw Megatron come into the room right before the Bridge closed and I saw him pick Optimus up."

Ratchet looked like he was about to blow a gasket. I waved my hands around, trying to calm him down. "But he didn't hurt Optimus. Megatron _gently_ picked him up, like he actually _cared_ about Optimus!"

Ratchet braced himself on the corner of his desk. He got this vacant look on his face as he stared through me. I rubbed my arm, getting nervous under his stare. I think I just made everything worse. Ratchet just started to mumble, but I caught most of what he said.

"...Dear Primus, what are we going to do now?"

**I credit the name 'Volk' to my lovely sister. It happens to be the name of an asteroid. I credit the scene where Steve comes to help Starscream to PrimeTime. Thanks a million! **

**I'll tell you guys a bit about the Vehicons. First, I own Tripwire, Shank, Rudder and Volk. Tripwire's nickname is Steve. Most of the Vehicons like Steve since he's easy to approach about a problem. Shank is Tripwire's best friend, who's known for goofing off and Volk is a... _slightly_ paranoid Vehicon officer. Rudder is a kind, older Vehicon who has a yellow optic band instead of a red one and is a medic. **

**In the next chapter there will be more bonding time with the Cons, but Starscream has a few tricks up his sleeve, one of them Soundwave won't approve of at all. Optimus's business with the Cons isn't done yet, and Optimus knows it.**

**If you got any ideas for me, just drop a review. Let me know what you think! :D**


	8. Guardian

**Here we go, folks. The eighth chapter of Tiny! :D**

**Starts off in Knockout's POV. I do not own Transformers, Hasbro does.**

**During one of Starscream's single-minded acts of treachery, Optimus goes through a completely unexpected experience.**

**Let's get crackin'!**

This is really getting on my nerves.

I watched the little twerp play around with some toys a Vehicon named Rudder made on the medbay floor. Lord Megatron came in here a little while ago and threatened to, quote unquote, eviscerate me and decapitate Breakdown if we lost the sparkling again. I didn't think he'd get this pissed over the sparkling. How the twerp managed to slip by unnoticed is a mystery to me. Breakdown looked glad to see the sparkling again after Steve brought him back. After that little meeting with our leader, I'm glad to be alive.

But, more importantly, this is really making me itch. That sparkling's paintjob is in _horrible_ condition. It wouldn't kill the Autobots to fix their paint every once in a while! All of those scratches! I know Optimus did a lot of off-roading, but he could have taken some time out to fix this mess! He needs a really good buffing... No, I have an even better idea. I walked over to my tool shelf and picked out the tools I needed for my little project. I looked down at the sparkling right as he looked up at me, huge optics shining brightly.

"_You_ are going to get a good sanding and a new paintjob." He curiously blinked at me as I put my tools down on the nearest medical berth. I picked up the sparkling and set him back down on the medical berth. This is ridiculous! The condition of his paintjob is _terrible_! I thought it was bad before, but_ by Primus_! I shook my helm as I prepped my buffer.

"The least the Autobots could have done was get some higher quality paint. This is a disgrace to all self-respecting automobiles! This stuff is just- Ugh!" I complained as I got a closer look at the sparkling's paint. Parvolus here (I think that's what Steve said his new name was) is going to get a brand new paint job. Time to retire red and blue.

"Knockout, what are you doing?" Breakdown asked as he walked into the medbay.

"Getting him a new paintjob."

"Is that even safe for a sparkling that little?" I turned and looked at my blue friend, a servo on my hip. I kind of have an idea of what he was thinking about.

"I didn't plan on using the chemical paint stripper, Breakdown. All I want to do to get the old paint off is sand it." I don't have to worry about the actual paint I'll be using. All of the paint I have is safe for even the most sensitive of plating on the frame (my plating gets irritated with I use standard paints). Parvolus will be fine.

Breakdown shrugged. "Alright."

Parvolus chirped at Breakdown, who smiled at him. "Hey, little mech. How are you?"

The sparkling chirped and chittered, waving his tiny servos around. Breakdown chuckled and continued to carry on his little conversation. Breakdown probably can't understand him, but that's not stopping him talking back to the chattering sparkling. While he's doing that, I can go choose the paints I want to use. I went over to one of the small storage rooms and opened the door. Every color you could imagine lined the walls of the room from floor to ceiling. I had the shades of all the paints organized on the right side, while the tints were all on the left. I stepped in and pulled down a can. I noticed that I needed more crimson. I'll fix that later. Right now, I have a job to do.

"Hey, I need you to stop ventilating while I do this. Don't want you to get paint powder in your systems." I told Parvolus after I set the paints I picked out for him down. He just blinked at me and started chewing on his digits. I turned to Breakdown for some help. My friend walked up to the sparkling and bent over so he could be optic level with the little twerp. He started talking to him, but in no language I could understand. But whatever that was, it got Parvolus to stop his ventilations and shutter his optics. I gave Breakdown a wide eyed look when he turned back around. He shrugged when he saw the expression on my face.

"I have four brothers. I got pretty good at understanding sparkling talk." I continued to stare at him. You think you know a mech.

I shook my helm and handed Breakdown the small sander. "Well, let's get going. His paint isn't going to sand itself." I clasped my servos together as I watched Breakdown lift Parvolus's arm and start sanding the scratched, red paint off. His paint will be absolutely _perfect_ when I'm through!

...

"And... done." Breakdown grunted when he finished with the small details on Parvolus's stubby audio receptor finials. The twerp was really well behaved for a sparkling. He only complained a little when I sanded the paint off a tiny bit too hard on his shoulder. I took a step back and observed the sparkling. I've done some good paint work with Breakdown before, but this is great. Even Parvolus's optics complimented the colors I chose for him.

Pleased with my work, I wiped off my servos with the cleaning rag I keep in my subspace and put my tools back on my shelves. Breakdown found a mirror and put it in front of Parvolus so he could see himself.

"You like your new paintjob?" He asked. I smirked as I stood off to the side, proud of myself. The plating on his arms and chassis was pure white. The blue paint on his legs was replaced with a semi-dull gold. The plating at his hips was painted the same gold as his legs. I decided to go a different route with his helm. His helm was mostly white with a gold trim. Breakdown thought it would look better if his audio receptor finials were painted gold, too.

The dull gold brought out the youthful shine of his faceplates more and emphasized his ear finials, as well as his silver and black forehead crest. His black pedes and servos matched the gold and white perfectly. Contrary to what everyone else in the galaxy says, this white doesn't perfectly match _every_ color.

Breakdown somehow managed to manually engage the little twerp's battle mask. He said something about a certain reflex when the forehead crest is touched a certain way. How he knows this, I will never know. He just gently touched Parvolus's crest right between his optics and the sparkling's battle mask covered his little face. I'm no sucker for cute things (that's Breakdown) but that surprised look on Parvolus's face is too adorable to resist. I quickly got rid of the old, blue paint and applied new, gold paint on the mask plating. After I let it air dry for a bit, the sparkling involuntarily disengaged his little mask.

To make it even better, his bright, blue optics shone against the gold trim, making the gold above his optics shimmer slightly. Parvolus's naturally silver abdomen was balanced by his now white chassis, somehow making the silver slightly less noticeable. You'd be amazed at how well colors can work together.

All in all, he looked pretty slagging good, thanks to my expertise.

...Optimus's POV: Ten Minutes Later...

I must say that I did not expect Knockout to choose white and gold. I assumed that my appearance would annoy the red mech, seeing the damage of the paint, and that he would choose a darker color for me.

But, perhaps I should not have expected a darker color. Back on Cybertron, sparklings of a very young age or, more commonly, of a small size were traditionally dressed in at least one light color. As they grew older, they were given the option of keeping those colors or changing them to whichever color they saw fit. Most chose not to keep their sparkling colors, but some chose to keep them. Ratchet is a fine example of those who chose to keep their sparkling colors.

Now that I have given more thought on the topic, these light colors on my frame are not as unexpected as they seem. The red medic was merely following an old tradition. I looked at the gold and white of my helm through the mirror Breakdown was holding up for me. The child within greatly approved of the new color scheme, and I allowed the child to voice that to Breakdown and Knockout. I chattered in delighted sparkling talk, optics growing bright. White and gold is an uncommon color scheme selected for a frame, and it seemed to work for my tiny frame. Knockout's face bore a clearly pleased expression as he looked at me.

"I thought you'd like it." Breakdown smiled. Both of them turned around when they saw the medbay door slide open. My silent guardian walked into the room. Breakdown's single optic widened as he watched the silent mech walk to stand next to the medical berth I was seated on. Soundwave briefly looked down at me before mutely addressing the red and blue mechs in the room.

"Commander Soundwave." Breakdown greeted. Soundwave merely played a recording, the size of the medbay emphasizing the mechanical echo.

"_I will be taking him."_

...

I sat on Soundwave's padded berth, clapping my little servos enthusiastically. We had completed another lesson in language and I am now able to form a few words in the Decepticons' tongue. The words in my limited vocabulary include father, mother, love, I, you and a few others. I could not yet properly address Soundwave without speaking in English, so I opted to create my own term.

"Seytas?" I stared up at the mech standing in front of me. His visor glinted as he looked back. The word was meaningless in a literal sense, but it was an affectionate term created by the little child within me, effectively granting the word meaning. Soundwave played another recording.

"_You learn quickly for one so young."_

A warm, pleasant sensation washed over my spark as I received the praise. I watched as Soundwave turned away from me and reached into a black cabinet fixed to the wall. He pulled out a small energon warmer and a cube of energon. He turned the warmer on after putting it on a table close to the berth and placed the cube on top. Soundwave moved back to me and gently picked me up. I listened to the strong beat of his spark as I leaned into his chassis. Soundwave sat down on his berth and cradled me in his slender servos. I smiled up at Soundwave.

"Seytas." I chirped to him. My silent guardian played a recording of Breakdown saying my third name, Parvolus, in response. He took the energon cube off the warmer and opened it. He shifted me to rest in the crook of his right arm and held the opened cube close to my mouth. The child within suddenly seized control and grabbed the sides of the cube. I took the corner of the cube in my mouth and Soundwave tilted it back. My mind wandered as I felt the warmed energon slide into my fuel tank.

I can only wonder how my fellow Autobots are faring at the base. I do not know how many days I have been gone. I already know for a fact that Ratchet is very worried. Soundwave moved the cube away from my mouth to allow the energon I drank to process for a moment. While Soundwave held me, I remained quiet, attempting to imagine that it was Ratchet holding me.

I wish that there were some way to contact the Autobot base and let Ratchet know that I am alright. I could not just send a message via radio frequencies, since the signal can be easily tracked by anyone aboard the warship. If someone traced the message to its destination, the missile silo will be exposed to ambush. With such weakened forces, the Autobots will have to either flee or surrender in order to live to see the coming of another solar cycle. Attempting to stand and fight would be futile.

Also, an attempt to contact the missile silo will put my life in danger. Soundwave brought the cube of energon closer to me and I began refueling again, engines producing a gentle purring sound. The hungry child within overwhelmed me briefly and tugged greedily at the cube, but Soundwave kept his grip firm. Though my safety would be put at risk, the wellbeing of the others is more important to me.

I will not put my family in danger.

For now, I must refocus my attention elsewhere. My business with the Decepticons is not done here. I have discovered a multitude of things that I would not have under any other circumstances. The silent mech holding me was more than an extremely loyal Decepticon. He was a gentle being, experienced in caring for a sparkling. I noticed that he liked to hold me to his spark in a caring manner. Knockout and Breakdown were very pleasant to be around. Breakdown was at first slightly nervous around me, possibly fearing he would harm me due to my abnormally small size. Eventually he grew more comfortable around me. Evidently he could understand the seemingly unintelligible language of a sparkling, because the two of us carried on a short conversation. What surprised me and Knockout alike was that he could also speak the language of a sparkling.

The Vehicons were all very interesting characters. Because of their near identical frames, their personalities seem all the more individual. Tripwire, a Vehicon who preferred to be addressed as 'Steve' seemed to be a calm mech, as well as a brave one. Most Vehicons would not have assisted Starscream. Having faced Starscream with groups of Vehicons out on the battlefield before, I could tell that most Vehicons did not like the Seeker, most likely due to his abusive nature towards them. I felt that I could trust Tripwire. However, I did not feel the same way about his best friend, Shank. The Vehicon apparently took pleasure in scaring people, since I saw him startle other Vehicons from behind while I was playing a game with Tripwire. Shank and Tripwire were very close; I was constantly reminded of how close Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are.

Volk was a paranoid bot, seeing how he panicked upon setting optics on me. He was essentially the Vehicon clone of Red Alert, though perhaps not as extreme. I am not bothered with the fact that he wants nothing to do with me. He has his own reasons, some I may or may not understand. Rudder is one of the few Vehicons that are physically different from the others. He possesses a yellow optic band. Upon seeing him, I wondered how this came to be, since the yellow of his optic band was not natural like Breakdown's optic. It is likely to be the aftermath of a disease originating from Cybertron that attacks the optics. The discoloration of the mech's optics could be a permanent reminder of not being able to receive treatment in time.

Aside from Rudder's discolored optics, the Vehicon was old, considerably older than Ratchet. Like Ratchet, he was an experienced medic. While we were playing the game he brought, a number of Vehicons approached him, asking him to patch injuries that were relatively small, but large enough to be concerned about. The old mech had a kindly demeanor and was evidently skilled in working with his servos. The game we were playing was hand made by the old mech. There are many questions I wish to ask the Vehicon medic; the old mech undoubtedly has many stories to tell.

What surprised me most were the discoveries I made about Megatron. When he first picked me up and placed me in a chair, I did not think that the warlord was capable of being gentle to that degree. In my encounter with him after I wandered into his personal quarters, I saw a side of the Decepticon leader that I doubt that he himself is willing to accept.

I can only accurately describe my many discoveries about the Decepticons with a single phrase: there was more to them than meets the eye.

My tank full of energon, I pushed slightly away from the cube in Soundwave's servo. The child within me was ready to take a long nap, but something was telling me to attempt to remain alert. I could not find a valid reason to remain awake, so I allowed myself to drift off. I shuttered my optics and leaned into Soundwave, my engines emitting a soft purring sound. The small voice in the back of my processor was the warrior within me, growing more urgent in attempting to have me remain awake. I could not act on the voice since I already allowed myself to slip into the full control of the child within me, who wished to do nothing more than sleep.

Before falling into full recharge, I ignored a sinking sensation and vaguely felt Soundwave stand and carry me out of the room.

…

I jolted awake to find myself alone, lying on the floor of a very large room. How could I have gotten here? Soundwave would not have left me here on the floor. I lifted my head slightly and looked around. It did not take me very long to see Starscream standing far away from me, close to the wall. I shifted, getting to my servos and knees. The Seeker merely stood there, a clawed servo resting on a lever protruding from the wall. I had begun to crawl towards him when Starscream spoke.

"I will not allow anyone to compromise my position as second-in-command of the Decepticon army."

Before I could finish forming another thought, Starscream pulled the lever on the wall. Suddenly, a powerful vibration shook the floor, knocking me back down onto my front as I felt the floor begin to angle downwards. The sound of high winds slammed into my audio receptors from behind. My optics widened, intense fear paralyzing me on the floor.

Starscream had opened the air hanger.

I began to slide towards the opened hatch, despite my best efforts to get a firm hold of the smooth floor beneath me. I looked back and saw the solid blue of Earth's sky. The _Nemesis_ was flying above the Earth at least a mile. I would not survive that sort of fall, even if I were a grown mech. The child overwhelmed me before I could brace myself and I called for help.

"Seytas!" I cried. I called for Soundwave repeatedly as I slid closer to the opening, though I knew in my spark that the silent mech could not hear me. My distress was drowned out by the roar of the wind whipping around outside. I looked towards Starscream again, only to see him leave the room, a triumphant smirk on his face.

What did I do to prompt his actions?

My childish mind raced as I grew ever closer to the end of the downwards angled floor. There was no way that I can survive this. My only chance at living has left me here to fall to my death. I would never be able to see Seytas again. I would never be able to carry on a conversation with Breakdown and play with Knockout's tools. I would never see the Vehicons again. I would never feel the looming protective sensation of Megatron watching over me. I will not be able to see my fellow teams that I have fought alongside for a long time again, nor would I hear the young humans in their recreational corner.

I would not feel Ratchet's strong spark beat as he held me close.

I shuttered my optics and resigned myself to my fate. If I am to die a sparkling, so be it. I only hope that I made a difference in the outcome of the end of this war. The sound of the wind grew louder as I slid closer and closer to my death. I only wish I could say goodbye to Ratchet. I wish I could say goodbye to the medic whom I now consider is closer than a friend.

Before I reached the edge, I felt something grab my tiny servo and pull me back. The unknown force continued to pull me back to safety. The presence felt intensely familiar. I opened my optics to see who my rescuer was. My eyes widened in shock. Even the restless child within grew still as I recognized the mech tugging me to safety.

Cliffjumper was crouched before me, holding onto my servo. There was a serene, gentle smile on his face plates, but a protective fire burned in his bright white optics. He picked me up and held me close to his chassis in one arm. Faster than any living bot ever could, he bolted over to the lever and closed the air hatch. He stood still, gazing down at me. Suddenly, I realized that it was not just Cliffjumper watching me. A soft light shone around the red mech's horned helm. I could sense a second, far more powerful and ancient force gazing at me through Cliffjumper.

Suddenly, Arcee's former partner spoke to me. _"I'm always here for ya."_

The red spirit crouched and gently placed me down on the floor. I stared wordlessly at him as he stood to his full height. Then, a wind I could not feel blew Cliffjumper away like desert sand in a nanoklik as he waved his farewell.

The door Starscream left through burst open, though I continued to stare at the space where Cliffjumper once stood. A large cybercat raced over to me and looked me over, checking for injuries. I allowed myself to be picked up by the jaws of the cat and carried through the door.

…Soundwave's POV…

It has been a long time since I have experienced anger. But, as of now, I am in a very foul mood.

I had carried the little one to my workstation and let him sleep in of the chairs in the room. I left after thirty minutes to get a cube of energon for myself. I reentered my workstation a short while later, to see the sparkling gone. I had immediately tapped into my security system and evaluated the surveillance footage taken from the camera in my workstation. Starsceam had entered and taken the sparkling. I watched him carry the sleeping sparkling towards the air hanger.

Upon realizing what he was about to do, I immediately deployed Ravage to retrieve the little one from the dangerous situation. I attempted to tap into the camera in the air hanger to get a live stream of footage, I only received static. Starscream must have sabotaged the system so I could not see what was happening there. Ravage has just sent a transmission to me stating that he had the little one and was returning with him to me. I was relieved to hear this and sent to work on my next course of action.

Starscream has attempted to kill the little one.

He _will_ answer for the act he committed against Decepticons and Autobots alike.

**...Starscream actually managed to piss off Soundwave... he's going to regret it, though.**

**Children are believed to have a stronger connection to the spiritual world, allowing them to experience things that are considered paranormal clearer than most adults.**

**Naughtia, 'Steve' is a Vehicon nickname given by the fans, named after Steve Blum, a guy who voiced a Vehicon in Darkness Rising Part 2 and 3. Steve Blum is also the person who voices Starscream.**

**Minlem means mint and lemons, Knockout never said that he didn't want to repaint Parvolus. ;)**

**When Breakdown said he had four brothers, I was referring to the Stunticons. I derived the term 'Seytas' from the Cybertonian language spoken by Megatron in the 2007 Transformers movie. I appreciate all of you who reviewed the last chapter, and I credit Sparkling Prime's new paintjob to Minlem means mint and lemons! Thanks a bunch!**

**Update: Due to a review I received from EndlessHope'22 for this chapter, I want to say that when I used this quote, ("I wish I could say goodbye to the medic whom I now consider is closer than a friend.) I meant a father/son relationship, not a mech on mech relationship. This was just to clear up any confusion.  
**

**In the next chapter, Soundwave will do something that no one on the warship will be able to anticipate. Until then, if you have any ideas, let me know and tell me what you think! Peace!**

**P.S. Let's hope for Starscream's sake that Ratchet doesn't find out about what he tried to do.**


	9. Father

**Hi, readers! I wanna thank all of you who review the last chapter. Well, here's the ninth chapter of Tiny! :)**

**I don't own Transformers, but i do own this fic. Starts in Starscream's POV.  
**

**Essentially, Soundwave puts his plans for Starscream into motion and commits an act no one will see coming.  
**

**Let's get it started!  
**

I walked back towards my personal quarters, a slight smile on my faceplates. There is no logical explanation to support how my brilliant plan could fail.

I know for a fact that Lord Megatron was grooming the sparkling for the position of second-in-command. I couldn't let something small and insignificant compromise my opportunities to rule the Decepticons. I already have difficulty in effectively getting Megatron out of the way so I can pursue my plans for the Decepticons that are beyond this pitiful planet. I don't need a second threat.

My plot was to first get the sparkling away from his silent guardian. For once, I was lucky. I spotted Soundwave leaving his workstation. I knew the little cretin was with him; Soundwave being his guardian, it would be unacceptable to leave the sparkling unattended for an extended period of time. Because of this, I knew that once Soundwave left his workstation, I had only a few minutes (if that) to get the sparkling clear of the room.

Thankfully, I was able to successfully do this without waking the sparkling. Had the sparkling woken up, I would have been caught. I had swiftly carried the sparkling to the air hanger without an encounter with another mech in the hallways. How I despised touching the little cretin, but this was the only way to accomplish this mission.

I chose this method of termination for a number of reasons. Though it is the most straightforward way, slaughtering the sparkling was completely out of the question. There would be no explaining away the cretin's energon on my claws; that method was far too obvious. I needed to snuff the sparkling's spark in such a way that left my claws clean and didn't point in my direction.

I found that the sparkling has wandered off without adult supervision, strengthening my case should someone accuse me of the sparkling's disappearance. Because of my various attempts in the past to seize power, I already know that I will be an immediate suspect. I needed to distance myself in more ways than one from the aftermath of my plot to make myself seem less likely of a candidate. After I left the sparkling to fall to his death, I headed for my personal quarters. My quarters may seem to be the worst place to go after following through with a plan such as this, but, they are a considerable distance away for the air hanger I selected. If I am found in or around my quarters, I appear to be less likely the one who did it. I was off-duty while I took the sparkling, so no one can officially bring up what I was doing during my own time _if_ anyone saw me.

Knowing that Soundwave would automatically tap into his surveillance system once he saw that the little cretin was gone, I had set a small device, meant to send out strong EM pulses, in the room. Sparklings have been known to send out EM pulses when they are lost or in distress so that they may be located by nearby mechs or femmes. I had adjusted the frequency of the EM pulse that emitted from the device so that it matched the sparkling distress signal. I made sure that the frequency level was just strong enough to fry the circuitry of the section of Soundwave's surveillance system that was hidden inside the air hanger. I had only a vague idea as to exactly where the system was wired into the room, but I didn't need to know where when I had an electromagnetic pulse device that could fry circuits throughout the entire room. Once I opened the hanger door, the EM device would slid with the sparkling and fall off the warship, destroying that bit of evidence a mech could potentially use against me.

Once the device sent the EM pulse, I had entered and set the still sleeping sparkling down in the center of the room. I headed over to the lever that opened the air hanger. Right after I reached the lever, I heard the sparkling wake. I had to dispatch him quickly before he started to cry. Had he cried, my entire plan would have been lost. Thankfully, he only stared at me. I pulled the lever as the sparkling made a pitiful effort to crawl towards me, and he realized too late that he was going to fall to his death. I left the room, initial threat no longer an issue.

Now in my personal quarters, I smiled to myself and pulled down the seventh volume datapad of _The History of Vos_. I sat down on my berth and returned to my saved page in the middle of the fourth chapter.

No one will have enough evidence to convict me.

…Soundwave's POV…

I turned as I heard the door open. Ravage held the little one in his jaws gently. He padded over to me and placed him in my waiting servos. I adjusted my hold on the sparkling and looked down at him. The little one clutched my armor and pulled himself closer to my frame. There was a distant look in his wide optics as he buried his face into my armor. Aside from the occasional movement of his arms, he was abnormally still. That experience he endured may have very well traumatized him. I looked up when I heard Ravage growling as he sent a transmission to me.

_I'll tear that Seeker apart! Nothing in this universe can justify what he tried to do._

Ravage was correct; nothing can justify what he attempted to do. However, the punishment for his actions that I have created is more suitable. I sent a transmission back to him, stating that I will handle Starscream's punishment. The cybercat's red optics grew brighter in irritation as he flexed his claws, scraping lightly on the floor.

My attention was drawn back to the little one. Had I not left, this would not have happened. The little one had begun to tremble, but it quickly subsided. There is only one reason as to why Starscream would take a sparkling with the intent to murder. He feared that the sparkling would eventually take his place as second-in-command, something I knew Lord Megatron planned on doing once the little one was old enough.

The pursuit of power was more important than recognizing morality to the Seeker. Lord Megatron greatly enjoys obtaining power, but in the vorns I have known him, I highly doubt he would go so far as to committing infanticide. He would not allow a mere child to stand in his way of ruling the Decepticons.

I rocked from side to side, soothing the tense child as I silently fumed. I must inform Lord Megatron of Starsceam's act of treachery.

…

"He did WHAT?!" Lord Megatron roared after I told him what happened to the little one in the central command room. The Vehicon officer working in the room turned to look at us. The entire time, Lord Megatron's optics blazed in a kind of fury I have not seen before. The little one whined at the sound of our leader's sudden, but expected outburst. Our leader looked as if he was going to yell again, but he did not when he looked at the still sparkling. I noticed his optics soften slightly as he gazed down at the little one. Lord Megatron turned away from me and growled, fusion cannon glowing dangerously.

"I will offline him. _That_ is a promise." Lord Megatron walked towards the door. He is serious about terminating Starscream. However, killing the Seeker would not be an effective punishment; he must live with his crimes. It will be difficult to change our leader's mind, but I know of one way to gain his full attention. I took one step forward and spoke without using a recording.

"Lord Megatron. I know of a better method of punishing Starscream for his treachery."

Our leader stopped and turned to look at me, optics slightly widened as a tense silence fell over the entire room. None of these Vehicons have heard my voice and Lord Megatron has not heard it in a very long time. The look in our leader's optics told me that he understood that as the little one's guardian, I had a say in how Starscream will be dealt with. He understood how angry I was.

"…Come with me." Lord Megatron left the room and I followed behind. He was heading towards his office in his personal suite. The sparkling in my arms had not moved from his position, though I heard him whimper the term he used to address me over and over. The sparkling had begun to knead the armor on my chassis, something sparklings are known to do when they are trying to comfort themselves. I shifted him to rest in the crook of my arm and stroked his helm in order to soothe him as I walked a short distance behind Lord Megatron. Eventually, the little one looked up at me briefly before beginning to chew on his digits. I was relieved to see that the sparkling appeared to be recovering from the aftermath of that undoubtedly traumatizing experience. I can only hope that the event does not haunt him in his dreams.

Once we were inside Lord Megatron's office, he prompted me to voice what I wished to do. After I told him, he firmly denied it. I was thankfully able to convince our leader that this was a logical plan and that Starscream will forever regret laying eyes on the little one.

…Bumblebee's POV: Autobot Outpost Omega One – Two Hours Later…

I'm getting really worried about Ratchet. Optimus has been gone for a few weeks now, and Ratchet had barely moved from in front of that monitor. He's not refueling enough and he's not recharging enough. I took it upon myself to make sure that he doesn't offline. I stayed at the base with Ratchet twenty four-seven a few days after Optimus was taken by Soundwave. He hated it, but at this point, I couldn't care less. I'll be a nurse for as long as I have to.

Arcee and Bulkhead continued to go on patrol and search for energon. We've been doing all that we can to avoid the 'Cons when we come across activity. We're stretched too thin for that. Plus, Ratchet would worry himself to death if he knew we were putting ourselves in danger. For Ratchet's sake, we're laying low. He has enough to worry about.

Arcee had found a huge amount of untouched energon somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains. No humans had been up there in a very long time, so it was okay for us to go in and take it. Both of them had brought back a whole lot of unrefined energon. I had started working on some of it before Ratchet could get to it, just to take some work off his load.

Wheeljack was working pretty hard on that cure. I'm glad he's taking this seriously. Even he sees how bad it's getting for Ratchet.

I handed Ratchet his cube of energon and accepted his gruff 'thank you'. I watched as he sat at his desk he put up in front of the green monitor and drink his energon. I figured out Ratchet wasn't refueling when I noticed that he wasn't as coordinated and focused as he normally is. Ratchet's servos slipped when he was holding his tools and would occasionally tremble when they weren't moving. We all noticed a change, really. He wasn't nearly as grumpy and had started to forget where he left his tools.

We were starting to lose our Ratchet.

Still keeping an optic on Ratchet, I grabbed a wrench from a nearby table and began to clean it, doorwings twitching slightly. Arcee told Jack and Raf that it would be better if they didn't come to the base as often. Miko… Miko had stayed at the base when she said that she was getting a ride from Agent Fowler and went to the _Nemesis_. Arcee told me that she had seen Optimus and tried to bring him back, but he didn't want to leave. My blue friend said she didn't believe it, and neither did Bulkhead.

I didn't know what to think.

I was ripped from my thoughts when I heard the monitor beep loudly. Ratchet put the cube down and turned to the monitor. I heard Bulkhead and Arcee walk into the room as I moved to stand next to Ratchet.

"Hmmm… There appears to an unusual and powerful radio transmission coming from central Nebraska."

Bulkhead looked at Ratchet. "What do you think it could be?"

Ratchet just shook his head. It was out of character for him to answer a question like that, but he's been doing it more often since Optimus was taken. He's been talking less, too. Arcee placed a servo on her hip.

"We'll have to investigate carefully. Bee, Bulkhead, with me." She headed over towards the Ground Bridge controls and punched in the coordinates. I started to move, but stopped and looked back at Ratchet. He could use some fresh air. Yeah, maybe that'll make him feel a bit better.

"_Maybe Ratchet should go instead of me."_ Ratchet barely looked away from the monitor when I mentioned his name. Bulkhead turned back to me and asked why. I gestured towards the red and white mech.

"_Well, the transmission was weird, right? It won't do us any good if we get there and can't figure out what it is. Plus, Ratch' is better at this sort of thing than all three of us."_ I know Arcee knows that I'm just trying to help Ratchet by getting him out of the base, but I just hope she plays along with me.

"Bee's right. Ratchet, you coming with?" I mentally sighed in relief. She's going along with it! Ratchet silently grabbed the handheld signal tracker and stood to leave with Arcee and Bulkhead. I said bye to all of them after I opened the Ground Bridge.

I took in a deep ventilation once they left through the vortex. Hopefully Ratchet can relieve some stress while he's out there. Since they're gone, I can check these frequencies Ratchet had open. I flexed my digits and stood at Ratchet's desk.

Let's help find the _Nemesis_.

…Arcee's POV: Twenty Minutes Later…

We had found the source of the transmission alright.

Bulkhead and I stood with our blasters onlined and aimed at Megatron and Starscream. We were in a big open clearing in this forest, so there was nowhere Ratchet could go for cover. Bulk and I did the best we could to keep ourselves between them and Ratchet. I glared as Megatron smirked.

"Must these meetings always result in violence?"

"You're one to talk, Buckethead." Bulkhead growled loudly, glaring at the silver mech and the Seeker standing behind him. The smirk on Megatron's face only widened, angering the scrap out of me. He came out here just to mock us!

…But if he's here just to mock us, why is Starscream here? He had a nervous look in his optics. Something else is going on here, and I'm going to find out what.

"What do you want, Megatron? Was taking our leader not enough for you?" I prompted. Megatron smiled slightly, baring his shark-like denta.

"Oh believe me, having your sparkling leader under my rule is enough. For now."

I briefly gave Ratchet a sideways glance. The mech looked very upset after hearing Megatron mention Optimus. Before I could move, Ratchet had gotten past Bulkhead and I, and was standing in front of us. He stepped towards the Decepticons, one step too close.

"Is he unharmed?!" Ratchet snarled, in an almost animalistic way. I boosted the power to my weapons system. This is going to lead into a fight. I know it. Starscream was getting fidgety and I know it's not because he's itchy. He seemed to be keeping an optic on Megatron and is working to keep out of arm's reach of the Decepticon leader.

"Perhaps." Megatron's answer only made Ratchet even more angry, and the warlord seemed to like that. What was he planning? He never targets Ratchet beyond commenting on how old he is. My only answer to that was that he had figured out the close bond Ratchet and sparkling Optimus had. But why was he rubbing salt on _that_ wound? I couldn't figure it out and I was beginning to get frustrated by that.

Ratchet clenched his servo into a very tight fist and ground out, "Is… he… safe?"

Bulkhead and I glanced at each other, weapons still aimed at the two Decepticons in front of us. We had never seen Ratchet this angry before. Megatron clasped his servos behind his back and spoke in a bored tone.

"He's safe now." I gave a confused look. Safe 'now'? I hope to Primus that they didn't endanger Optimus. Otherwise, they'll have to answer to Ratchet. The medic was growling like an angry hellhound and looked like he was going to attack the warlord.

"Of course, I didn't put him in harm's way. One of my mechs did." That caught me by surprise. If he didn't do it, who did? Megatron continued talking, like he was having a normal conversation.

"Evidently, the guilty mech believes that the pursuit of power is more important than the consideration of morals."

'Pursuit of power'… My optics widened as I figured out what Megatron meant. He knew exactly who it was, but he's playing dumb so he doesn't spook the 'guilty mech'. Ratchet figured out the same instant I did. He slowly turned to Starscream, who seemed to shrink in his place behind Megatron.

"_You_… _You_ tried to hurt my sparkling…" I could see him driving small dents into the palms of his servos as he kept them balled into tight fists. I was considering having Bulkhead hold him back, but after he said 'my sparkling', that was completely out of the question. Nothing can restrain the wrath of an angry parent.

Megatron continued to play dumb, though his fiery optics were glittering in sadistic anticipation. "The mech apparently intended to commit infanticide, given the circumstances. The sparkling was found in one of the air hangers."

He didn't need to say anything else. I stared in shock and disgust at the now cowering Seeker. How could a thought like that cross the processor of any Cybertronian? Killing a baby for power? Ratchet's armor started to rattle while his back was to Bulk and me.

"Ratch', are you o-" Bulkhead was cut off by the pointed look Ratchet gave him. The medic's demeanor completely changed. Both of us offlined our weapons and took a step back. This was the calm before the storm. And the storm was coming. Soon.

Ratchet had turned halfway to look at Bulk with a bright, blood red optic.

Megatron looked ecstatic in his own way as he stepped aside, clearing the way for Ratchet and giving him permission to do whatever he wanted to. Starscream had to have known that he was on his own, because he tried to explain himself while he backed away.

"N-now, i-it's not what you thi-ARGH!" Ratchet came flying at him faster than I ever thought he could move and punched him hard in the faceplate. The sound of the metal connecting was deafening. Starscream went sailing through the air and hit the ground hard, digging a small trench. Bulkhead mouthed 'Oh my Primus…' while he slowly shook his helm from side to side. Hm. Serves Starscream right.

Ratchet stood there, fist out and ventilating roughly. I already know that punching him will not be enough for Ratchet. Starscream had better prepare for another world of pain. Megatron looked down at Ratchet, a sadistic look in his optics.

"You can go slaughter him." He said growled sweetly. I'm sure that is one thing Ratchet won't mind doing at all. The medic's red optics glinted in pure fury as he rushed at Starscream again. He grabbed the Seeker by the neck and hurled him through a nearby tree at the treeline of the forest, sending wood splinters everywhere. The grey Seeker looked terrified as he scrambled up from the fallen tree. I never thought I say this but…

I hope Starscream lives to see another solar cycle. Ratchet will not go easy on him.

Starscream ran back into the open and tried to transform and fly away. Ratchet beat him to the transformation. His alt-mode roared out of the foliage and slammed into Starscream. Ratchet transformed back into bi-pedal mode to land square on the fleeing Seeker's back.

Few things scare me in this war. I've seen all there is to see when it comes to that. But the demonic fury of an angered parent struck real fear into me. Ratchet shifted his servo into his surgical blade and sliced off Starscream's left wing right where it connects into his back. The Seeker howled n pain as the blade cut through numerous sensory nodes. Now he won't be able to fly away. While Ratchet was distracted with the wing, Starscream whipped around, throwing Ratchet off, and swung his claws at him.

I gasped as I watched Ratchet rear back and howl in pain, clutching his face. The howl of pain quickly turned into an enraged roar. He let go of his bleeding face and stormed off in the direction that Starscream fled. Starscream's claws cut into the left side of the forehead crest and slashed across his right optic. Energon bled down his face, but he was Pit-bent on murdering Starscream. Ratchet stumbled slightly as he grew used to the bad eye.

Megatron had an entertained smile on his scarred faceplates. "I should take more advice from Soundwave from now on."

"That's what he gets for messing with a parent and his kid." Bulkhead crossed his arms over his chassis. I looked on as Ratchet caught Starscream's arm and attempt to severe it from the exposed and sensitive cables at the elbow joint. The Seeker snatched his arm away and ran before Ratchet could bring the surgical blade down.

"I'm just glad Bumblebee isn't here." He doesn't need to see Ratchet like this. I looked up again to see that Ratchet had pinned Starscream down and shifted his servo in his frame welder. His red optics were very bright in his anger. I doubted he even knew what he was doing. He put the frame welder on high power and brought it down on the sensitive abdomen plating.

The Seeker screamed bloody murder.

Alright, I can't take this anymore. I hate Starscream, but I hate torture more. I ran towards Ratchet and Starscream. Bulkhead tried to stop me, but I was too far away. Megatron called after me, the tone in his voice clearly saying that he was enjoying watching Ratchet try to rip Starscream limb from limb.

"I wouldn't advise doing that. In this state, he's a wild animal. He could turn on you."

I ignored the warning and moved towards them. Once I was close enough, I put a servo on Ratchet's shoulder.

"Ratchet, you've got to-" I couldn't even complete the sentence before a fist came flying at me. I quickly dodged it. I looked into Ratchet's red optics, but all I saw was a wild animal. Megatron laughed behind me.

"Did I not tell you?" I ignored him once again and focused on Ratchet.

"Ratchet, you have to stop. I know he hurt your sparkling, but you can't torture him. You've already done enough!" I yelled, trying to snap him out of this. I know Starscream is the enemy, but Ratchet will never be able to live with himself if he killed out of rage. He stood there for a nanoklik, ventilating hard. I watched his blood red optics begin to soften slowly. I have to keep trying.

"Ratchet, remember, Optimus is still alive. He didn't kill him." I said, taking the fist he tried to punch me with and stroking it into relaxing. His tension began to lessen. Starscream looked up at me, a confused and still terrified look on his face. His ventilations hitched as he lay still on the ground under Ratchet's weight.

"Ratchet, get up. Optimus would not want you to do this." That one got through. The anger drained from his optics and his blood red optics returned to their normal blue. I moved with him as he slowly got off Starscream. I never let go of his servo. I never stopped stroking it. He had a really tired and sad look in his optics. Ratchet wore himself out.

"That was a spectacular show, medic! Gruesome, yet very appealing to watch. Like a gladiator of Kaon. You should have considered becoming a gladiator." Megatron smiled, optics glowing bright. I turned and glared daggers at him while the two of us walked back to Bulkhead. The green mech went ahead and commed Bumblebee so he could open the Ground Bridge. I tuned out Starscream's loud moans of pain.

After all, he deserved it.

"You have no need to worry, Autobots. The sparkling is safe. Though you won't be seeing him again for a very long time." Megatron called after us while we walked through the Bridge, making no move to follow us.

Once we got back into the base, Bumblebee panicked. He saw that slash across Ratchet's face. At this point Ratchet's knees had buckled and he collapsed. Bumblebee panicked even more as we got Ratchet to the medical berth. I know he's fine; he's just really tired.

"Bee, calm down. He just pushed himself too far. I'll explain everything later. Right now, Ratchet needs to rest." I said quietly. Bulkhead had already left for his room, and Bee and I stood over Ratchet, who lay sleeping on the medical berth. We did the best we could for his face, but there's going to be a permanent scar over his eye.

I told Bee to head for his room to get some recharge and he went, leaving me with Ratchet. I stood there looking at him for a nanoklik. Sighing, I pulled up a chair next to his berth.

I'll keep an optic on him.

…Optimus's POV: One Hour Later…

I did not understand. Soundwave has never left the _Nemesis_ with me before. He was holding me close as we walked through the Ground Bridge. I gazed up at him. Before we left, he had taken me to see Breakdown, Knockout and the Vehicons. I played with all of them for a short while before Soundwave took me and activated a Ground Bridge vortex.

I shifted and chirped at Soundwave as we exited the other end of the vortex. We stood in the middle of a forest at night. The moon was high in the sky as clouds drifted slowly by. It was the same forest that Soundwave found me in. What are we doing here?

I looked to Soundwave for an answer, receiving none. Instead, he started to play a recording of a young man and woman singing together.

"_So long! __Farewell__!  
To you my friend!  
Goodbye! For now!  
Until we meet again.  
I said, so long! Farewell!  
To you my friend!  
Goodbye! For now!  
Until we meet again.  
It's been great  
to play and sing together in the box!  
And now it's time to say goodbyeee!  
(*shuffle shuffle snap clap*)  
So long! Farewell!  
To you my friend!  
Goodbye! For now!  
Until we meet ahhh-gaaaaaaaaaiiinnn!"_

Before I could I respond to the song he played, another Ground Bridge opened a short distance away. I turned to look at the Bridge and my optics widened.

"Optimus!" Ratchet ran through the Ground Bridge and towards Soundwave. A warm feeling washed over be as Soundwave handed me over to Ratchet. I cannot describe how happy I am to see the medic. Ratchet hugged me close and I purred and chirped in delight. Suddenly, I remembered one thing I could not forget again. I shifted frantically in Ratchet's arms so I could face Soundwave. My silent guardian had turned away to transform and fly off.

"Greelo, Seytas!" I called. Soundwave stopped and turned to lift a servo in farewell before transforming and flying back towards the _Nemesis_. I had told him goodbye in the Decepticons' language.

"…Oh, Primus…" Ratchet muttered shakily, I looked back up at him to see that he had tightly shut his optics. I blinked and buzzed at him. I looked closer and was shocked by what I saw. As long I have known him, I have never experienced this with Ratchet.

Blue tinted tears fell from his optics and streaked down his faceplates, despite his efforts to hold them back.

I leaned into Ratchet's chassis in the moonlight, letting the mech release his emotions. He was more worried than I initially predicted. The child within me was very happy to be with Ratchet again, but was also sad that I may not see the 'Cons I have built bonds with for a very long time. I will miss them dearly. I listened to Ratchet's breathing hitch occasionally. But, as of now, I am glad to be home. Home with my family.

Home with my father.

**Wow, long chappy… aw well. Starscream had better be glad that Arcee was there, otherwise, he'd be very dead.  
**

**Case you're wondering, the song Soundwave played was the end theme from an old TV show called _Out of the Box_. I watched it a lot when I was little.  
**

**IBrokeThe4thWall, I applaud you. You figured out my plan for this chap before I even wrote it. You are one smart cookie! :)**

**Needless to say, Sparkling Prime has A LOT of stories to tell back at the base. We will see Cliff again, though probably not in the next chapter. Sparkling Prime will be meeting the one human that the Autobots are associated with that was not mentioned in this fic yet. Can you guess who?  
**

**If you have ideas, let me know. Till next time and tell me what you think! See ya! :D  
**

**P. S. Right now, Megatron doesn't know Soundwave gave Optimus back to the 'Bots, but he's going to. And he won't be a happy camper.  
Anyway, have a Happy New Year!  
**


	10. Journal

***Bangs on pot with wooden spoon* Come and get it, fresh and hot! The next chapter of Tiny! :p**

**Most of you all got it right; Sparkling Prime did indeed meet Ms. Darby. If there was any confusion as to who I was initially talking about, I am very sorry. That was entirely my fault. Accidently left out a word.**

**I don't own TFP, but I do own this story.**

**Let's get on with this! :D**

…Soundwave's POV: Datapad Journal Entry #42…

Needless to say, Lord Megatron was _not_ pleased to find out that sparkling was now with the Autobots. Much to my surprise, he did not kill me on the spot, as I expected. He begrudgingly agreed with me that the little one was safer with the Autobots. Even though Starscream was adequately punished by the Autobot medic (I deployed Laserbeak and recorded the incident), I highly doubt the Seeker would have stopped until the little one was dead.

Starscream had been beaten many times before when he crossed Lord Megatron and yet he continues to betray him. The beating he received from the Autobot was more severe than most given to him by Lord Megatron, but, as we have seen in the past, the beatings seem to only encourage the Seeker to achieve his goal by any means necessary. After observing the Seeker for a time, I have concluded that morals are secondary to him.

If the sparkling stayed, he would have to be under constant surveillance. Stationing mechs around the little one to guard him would only provide a small amount of security. Starscream knows how to slip past our forces at the right moment and do what he pleases. The Seeker knows no bounds in reaching his own goals.

Also, I do not wish to take away from the little one's childhood. No sparkling should live under constant surveillance.

There are a number of logical reasons as to why the sparkling is safer with the Autobots, but, personal experience has driven me more so to make this decision.

Before I became a Decepticon, and before I was a gladiator in Kaon, I led a normal life in Tagan Heights. I was a different mech then, and I did not wear this mask. I was an ore factory worker processing metals for weapons, armor and other things in a lower caste to support myself, my sparkling, Wingspar, and for a time, my sparkmate.

Femmes were generally uncommon on Cybertron, but they were especially rare in the lower castes. Factory accidents claimed most femmes in our caste. It was a wonder a femme as small and dainty as my sparkmate, Halyard, happily lived the rough dangerous life of a lower caste bot. She was a strong sparked femme and couldn't stand being called by her full name, specifically by me. She preferred to be called 'Halli'. She also preferred to call me 'Kitten' because of her love of cybercats.

Even as I write this, I am wracked with memories of Halli. I do not wish to delve too deeply in them, but I can't help but remember her joking, light-sparked manner. I remember the solar cycle she found out she was carrying. I had never seen her so happy before. I couldn't help but share her happiness.

Halli was one of the many victims of the Cosmic Rust outbreaks. These epidemics tended to occur frequently among the bots of the lower castes, specifically the factory workers, whose workspaces were never always safe. My mate was unable to receive treatment in time and died three vorns after she had Wingspar, leaving me to care for our child. Her dying wish was for me to protect the sparkling we brought into the world. And I did so.

Though I grieved my sparkmate's death, I cherished Wingspar's company, despite the very close resemblance he bore to his carrier. The little one was the light of my life. While I cared for Parvolus, I was constantly reminded of Wingspar's quiet, curious demeanor. He was a shy little mech when we had leave for supplies, but once we returned home, he chirped and chattered to me to his spark's content. Wingspar loved to explore, much like Parvolus. On more than one occasion I had to get Wingspar down from the energon cabinets after he'd flown up there. His thrusters developed quickly and he enjoyed using them very much. Wingspar was adored by our neighbors much the same way my fellow Decepticons did for Parvolus. Parvolus seems to be almost a clone of Wingspar, aside from differing frames. Even their voices were somewhat similar. I could not help but feel protective of Parvolus.

One evening, I had left to get more cubes of energon for us from the local storage unit next door. I was not worried about leaving Wingspar, since the bonded couple above us and the young femme next door keep an optic on my little one if I had to leave. Once I returned, I saw that Wingspar was gone. I assumed that the young femme, Clearout, had taken Wingspar to her residence and was taking safety precautions. Because I was a single parent and because she was the only one I truly trusted in all of Tagan Heights, I had given the kind, young femme the access code to my residence, should Wingspar needed to be relocated and cared for.

But I soon noticed that not all was right. The bonded couple that lived above us was down in front of my residence, having heard a strange noise. I was followed by the couple into my residence and I immediately looked at the front table. Clearout would not have left without leaving a datapad on that particular table stating that she had Wingspar. There was no datapad on the table. I felt a draft coming from the back room of my small residence. I never opened the back window, so I knew something was very wrong. I cautiously walked towards the back room, my neighbors close behind.

I will never forget the sight I saw in the back room.

Energon pooled on the floor as I looked at the scene before me. Clearout sat on the floor just below the shattered window, a long blade piercing her spark chamber, next to a shattered datapad. I could obviously tell that she had been… _severely violated_ before she was killed. Energon ran from around the blade, so I knew that she had just been killed. She was leaned over, helm down, and appeared to be protecting something. I had moved closer to see what was in her servos. My sparkling sat still on her lap.

Two smoking holes were in Wingspar's helm.

I do not remember what I did as a reaction to the murders, nor do I want to remember. I only remember the anger and the guilt. Had I not left to get energon, they would not have been terminated. I took it upon myself to find out who killed my kindly neighbor and innocent sparkling. After much investigating, I figured out that it was a psychotic criminal named Faultline. The murders perfectly matched his signature method of operation. He had escaped custody a vorn before and had killed ten sparklings and violated the femmes caring for them.

The mech was never brought to justice. Even after I had become a Decepticon, I searched for the murderer, in hopes of avenging the deaths of two innocent bots that were close to me. Despite my best efforts, I could not track him. The local police had made little effort to assist me in my search, occupied with other matters in the higher castes.

I could not allow anyone to take a sparkling away from me again, regardless of who the little one truly was or what my leader said. I had failed once, and I would not fail again.

I know for a fact that the Autobot medic has a very close bond with the little one. His love for the little one was only reconfirmed when I saw the footage of him attacking Starscream for putting the sparkling in harm's way. Before Parvolus and I departed the Nemesis, I took him to visit the Decepticons he had formed bonds with. I did not allow him to see Lord Megatron, despite the elder brother relationship he had formed with Parvolus, since he would have kept me from giving the little one back to the Autobots. The little one did not know it at the time, but that would be the last time he sees these bots for a very long time.

While he played with the Vehicons, Tripwire and Shank, I looked at Rudder and he gazed back at me through his yellow optic band. I suspect that he knew what I planned on doing, but did not say a word. The old bot nodded once, as if to subtly approve of my course of action.

I had found the location of the Autobot base while I was caring for Parvolus, and chose not to notify Lord Megatron. I could not bring myself to destroy a sparkling's family. That would put me on the same level as Faultline. I am still withholding this information from our leader and will continue to do so.

With these coordinates I had sent an anonymous transmission to the Autobot base, requesting to only meet with the Autobot medic. I held the sparkling close and played a song I felt best expressed how I felt at the moment. I did not want to let go of the little one, but it must be done. The medic raced through their Ground Bridge alone, something I can conclude rarely happened. I gently handed him the little one and watched briefly as the medic embraced Parvolus. The memories of seeing my sparkmate holding Wingspar so lovingly flooded my processor when I saw them together. I had turned to leave the parent and child to one another when I heard Parvolus call after me. He said goodbye in the Decepticons' language. At that moment, pride swelled in my spark. He had learned well from my teachings. I lifted a servo in farewell and flew off towards the _Nemesis_, feeling conflicted between sadness and relief.

The medic was a more suitable guardian than I. Parvolus will not be a victim of senseless murder, like Wimgspar and Clearout were.

I failed my Halli once. I will not fail her again.

~Soundwave

…Wheeljack's POV: Autobot Outpost Omega One…

This is a total mess.

I moved back over to my invention. It had blown up again. All it seems to want to do is blow up. I'm probably giving too much energy to the restructure nanites…

The kid's been gone for some time now and Ratchet's on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I didn't realize just how important the little kid was to the Doc. I almost feel like I'm letting him down for not coming up with a cure soon enough. It doesn't make it any better that he was caught by the Decepticons.

I sat in the berthroom Arcee had given me and stared at the invention that had just exploded in my face. This isn't getting anywhere fast. I'd better go take a break before I fry my processor trying to figure this mess out. I stood up to leave right before Bumblebee threw my door open.

"Would ya mind knocking first?" The yellow youngling just shook his helm and had this excited look in his optics. His doorwings couldn't stop twitching and moving around. What's got him all happy?

"_C'mon, Wheeljack! You've got to see this!"_ I just shrugged and followed him. Bee ran down the hall towards the main control room. I'm not running anywhere, so I'll just walk. As soon as I made it to the main room, I saw everybody in there. Huh. I thought everyone was recharging. It was after midnight.

"Jackie, come over here, quick!" Bulkhead said, just as excited as Bee was. Ratchet had his back to me, focusing all his attention on something. Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee all surrounded him. I walked over to see what was going on.

"Well, would ya look at that!" Doc Bot was holding sparkling Optimus in his arms! The little kid was all smiles and was chirping happy nonsense in sparkling talk. My question is how'd Doc Bot get him away from the 'Cons.

"_Ratchet said Soundwave just gave him back! This is so GREAT!" _ Mind-reading Bee was practically bouncing on his pedes as he looked at emotionless 'Con gave him back? I smirked. Right.

"Bee's right, Jackie. Who knew the creep had a spark!" Bulkhead laughed. Sheesh, everyone's a mind-reader today.

"It he alright?" I asked. Couldn't come up with nothing else better to say. Ratchet turned and looked at me. He had this look in his eye, like he'd just been crying. I didn't say anything about it as he talked to me.

"He's fine. Soundwave has evidently been taking good care of him. He's not injured and has a full tank of energon." Doc Bot cradled the little kid close to his spark and stroked his little helm. The kid leaned into his servo and clicked happily when he heard Soundwave's name.

"H-He wuhz my gawdee-an!" Optimus stuttered cheerfully. My optics widened. That 'Con was his guardian? I wonder what else happened on the _Nemesis_.

"We can save the stories for the morning." Ratchet turned and looked at all of us. "He'll need his energy for tomorrow when the kids come."

After that we all headed back to our rooms without putting up much of a fight. Once I got back to mine, I sat down on my berth and stretched out, servo behind my helm. I might not be doing too hot with finding a cure, but at least we got the kid back.

I dimmed the lights and stared at the ceiling while I lay on my berth. I need to get some kind of processor protection. Everybody's a fragging mind-reader.

…

I stood in the main control room with Ratchet and little Optimus. Both of us were waiting on the other three to come with the kids. Bulkhead said it was a school day for them. Ratchet was holding the sleeping kid in his arms swaying from side to side. Ya know, ever since this morning I've been meaning to ask him something. Might as well ask him now while no one's around.

"Hey, Doc." He turned to look at me. Least I got his attention. "I've wanted to ask you something…"

"Well, what is it? And keep your voice down!" Ratchet snapped, glaring at me.

I glanced at the recharging kid and lowered my voicebox volume. "What happened to your face?"

I noticed it last night when the kid was back. It looked like it was fresh. I was in my room working on a cure for Optimus for most of the time in the past few days, so I haven't really been around to see much of anything happen around the base. His right optic had a nasty looking scratch over it. Ratchet looked at me for a second.

"My optic was slashed by Starscream."

I raised my optic ridges. Starscream? As far as I know, that coward does his best to avoid a fight, not get into them. He really only fights in self-defense. I casually crossed my arms over my chassis, faking disinterest.

"What did Starscream do?" Ratchet's optics grew brighter for a second as he scoffed.

"More like, 'What did I do to him?'."

"What happened?" I'm interested now. Doc Bot doesn't do too much fighting. He usually just stays in the base. But from Bulkhead what told me, he really knows how to put some hurt on the 'Cons.

"I had a violent conniption."

"A violent what?"

"A violent fit of anger."

"What did he do to make you that mad?" I asked. There wasn't anything unusual about Ratchet getting mad, but he doesn't get violent about it. I took a small step back when Ratchet's optics turned blood red for a second before going back to normal. Starscream must have really pissed him off. He growled his answer.

"He tried to kill Optimus." Wow. Why would anyone kill a sparkling? He can't defend himself and it doesn't help that he's the first sparkling in a very long time.

"How'd you find that out?"

"Megatron told us."

"And you believed him." Still holding the sparkling, he gave me a pointed look.

"Megatron would not have come with Starscream if the only thing he wanted to do was gloat. And Megatron does consider morals. Starscream is possibly the only 'Con aside from Shockwave willing to commit infanticide within his own species to get what he wants."

"I'm sure you beat the Pit outta him." He just smiled a little at me. Before I could asy anything else, the other bots came back into the base in their alt-modes. The humans all hopped out and said hi to me and Ratchet. As soon as they got a good look at Ratchet, they froze.

"Is that…?" Jack said, pointing at the kid in Ratchet's arms. Miko looked like she was on the verge of tears as she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"It's Optimus!" Raf said, obviously excited. Doc Bot was smiling gently as the little kid slowly woke up. The entire room got quiet as he opened his huge optics. He chirped at Ratchet and looked down at the kids. An enormous smile spread across his shiny faceplates.

"Meeko! Raf! Jack!" Optimus squeaked, reaching down towards them. Ratchet crouched and let the little kid down. Optimus tried to stand, but fell back down on his backside. I smiled when I saw the frustrated look on his face. He didn't have to stand, though. The humans were coming towards him. Bulkhead and I glanced at each other as we all watched Optimus meet up with the kids.

He must've really missed the three of them.

…Optimus's POV…

I did not realize exactly how much I missed the children until I saw them below me. The child within at that point had no interest in being held and wished to be put down. Ratchet sensed what I wanted and placed me down on the floor. I attempted to stand, but fell back down on my behind, much to my frustration. Miko rushed over to me and gave me a hug, which I gladly returned. Ratchet growled at Miko as she hugged me, startling her into letting me go.

I suspect that Ratchet is upset at Miko for initially taking me out of the base. Though his emotions are understandable, I know that the young human meant no harm.

The children all surrounded me, asking many questions all and once. I could not understand them, but I was not bothered by that. I was happy to see the human children I have become so fond of.

I looked at Miko and saw the guilty and apologetic expression on her face. I know that she had taken me without Ratchet knowing, but had she not gone to play hide and seek with me, I would not have met Soundwave. I would not have seen the caring, protective nature of my silent guardian. I would not have been able to speak with Beakdown in sparkling talk, and play with Knockout and his tools. I would not have been able to see the individuality in the Vehicons, especially Tripwire, Shank, Rudder and Volk. I would not have seen the second, brotherly side of Megatron.

I should be thanking the young human.

"Miko, do not feel sorry for what you have done. I wish to thank you for providing a window for me to experience the Decepticon in a way that would not have been open given any other circumstances." I am aware of the glitch in my CPU keeping me from hearing the child English I was undoubtedly using. But, I do hope that she understood the general message I was sending.

What I said rendered her speechless. I am glad that she understood me. Raf spoke up after Miko let go of me.

"Uh, why are you white and gold?"

I was surprised that the question did not come sooner. "Knockout and Breakdown changed the colors for me." I crossed my legs as I sat on the floor.

"Knockout must've gotten annoyed at how scratched your paint was." Arcee concluded. I nodded.

"_So what else happened on the Nemesis?"_ Bumblebee asked, anticipation lacing his voice. I could not think of where I could start. Before I could begin to answer, the unmistakable tone of the proximity sensors sounded through the main room. Ratchet immediately picked me up from the floor and cradled me protectively to his spark. I instinctively leaned into him, enveloping myself in the warmth emanating from his frame.

"What is it?" Arcee said, frame tensing. Bumblebee accessed the silo perimeter security cameras from the green monitor and revealed a white car driving off the road and towards the entrance towards the base entrance.

Jack groaned. "_Mom_."

I blinked in Ratchet's arms and absently began to chew on my digits. The child within was wary of meeting Ms. Darby because I did not know her well. But the warrior within me was not worried, and was intrigued as to how she would react to me it this state.

…June Darby's POV…

I only wanted to visit the base to check on Jack and the Autobots. I haven't been there in a while. Jack hasn't been saying much about what's going on around the base lately, so I'll see for myself. I smiled a bit as I drove off the road and towards the silo entrance. Hopefully, Optimus is there. I haven't talked to him in a while.

I pulled up into the base and parked my car by the wall. I saw the 'Bots standing around like they were waiting for me. I'm guessing that's Wheeljack leaning against the wall near the hallway. I never met him before, but Jack told me about him. Ratchet had his back to me, occupied with something else. I saw Jack and the other kids standing by their guardians' feet. I waved at my son and said hi. I know how much he hates being hugged in public, so I usually just wave.

"H-Hey, Mom! What're you doing here?" Jack rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just wanted to see how you and the 'Bots were doing. Hello, Arcee." The blue motorcycle nodded once. I said hi to Bulkhead and Bumblebee and turned to Wheeljack.

"You're Wheeljack, right?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at me. "The one and only. What of it?"

"Nothing. I just never met you until now. My name is June Darby, by the way."

He jerked his head in my son's direction. "You're Jack's carrier?"

I gave him a confused look. What was a 'carrier'? Before I could even ask about that, Arcee answered.

"'Carrier' means 'mother' in human terms." I looked back at Wheeljack.

"Yes, I'm his mother." He only grunted in response, still leaning against the wall. Ratchet was still occupied doing something on the other side of the room. He looked almost like he was holding something, but I can't be sure. I'll go and ask him.

"Doctor, what are you holding?" He stopped moving as soon as he heard my voice and turned around. He was holding a baby in his arms! My eyes widened in shock. I didn't expect to see anything like that! The baby was white and gold, and looked strangely familiar.

"Is he Optimus's son? He looks exactly like him." Bumblebee sounded embarrassed when he buzzed behind me. I saw Bulkhead begin to twiddle his thumbs as Jack walked up to me.

"Uh, Mom? That _is_ Optimus." I was struck speechless. How did Optimus turn into a baby? His bright, blue eyes were huge as he looked back down at me. Ratchet was cradling him on the crook of one arm and had a handheld scanner in his free hand.

"Before you even ask, I'll start from the beginning." Arcee cut in. She told me that one of Wheeljack's inventions had blown up around a month ago and turned Optimus into a baby, or, sparkling. She said Optimus still has his memories from when he was grown and that he should recognize me. He stayed with the 'Bots for a while until the Decepticons took him. Arcee avoided exactly how the 'Cons got him, but I won't ask. The 'Bots had searched for him for a while until the 'Con named Soundwave gave him back. It makes me wonder why he gave him back to the Autobots. I thought it would be better for them if the 'Cons kept Optimus. But I won't question it. At least he's unhurt and back with the Autobots.

While Arcee explained this to me, Ratchet must've let little Optimus get down because I felt him tugging lightly on my pants leg. I looked down to see little Optimus on his hands and knees, staring up at me. I crouched down to his level and smiled sweetly at him.

"Hey, baby. How are you?" He smiled back at me and responded.

"Good, M-Miss Darbee!" I couldn't help but smile even more. His voice was so cute; it reminded me of how Jack sounded when he was a little boy. I was surprised he spoke in English. I figured that he would speak in whatever language they do on Cybertron… But Arcee said that he still had his memories, so it would make sense for him to remember how to speak English. He stutters a bit, though.

Little Optimus sounds so different from how he normally is. I know he's a sparkling, but he sounds so cheerful and carefree. Optimus is usually so serious and if you look carefully, he looks sad and weighed down. I'm glad to see that he doesn't look so sad now. I put my hands on my hips and looked up at Ratchet, the mom in me kicking in.

"Do you have formula for him?" We went on to discuss different things regarding childcare while the kids and the other 'Bots in the room went about their business. I never realized how remarkably similar human and Cybertronian childcare is. Even the ways to help get the baby to sleep are similar. Ratchet was talking about this as if he were little Optimus's parent. Well, maybe he's acting as an adoptive parent. I've never seen a side beyond his usual gruff demeanor. It's nice to see a caring side of him that any parent could recognize.

Suddenly, there was a loud clattering noise. I jolted and turned around. What was that? It gave me a good scare! Everyone turned around and looked at where the noise came from. A cloud of dust was growing near the wall. Arcee moved closer to it as Ratchet stepped over me. The look on the doctor's face told me he knew exactly what happened.

"_Optimus Prime_!" Ratchet's voice grew very stern as the room grew quiet. The baby must've did something he had no business doing. Ratchet used his full name.

The dust cloud lowered to reveal a very dirty sparkling. His body went from white to black. Next to him on the ground was a rusty air vent grill. He probably got a little curious, like all babies do. He coughed as he sat on the ground and rubbed the dirt off his face. I smiled and shook my head while Bulkhead and Bumblebee laughed.

"Ooh, somebody's in trouble." Miko snickered from the railing. The dust settled and Ratchet picked Optimus up, brushing some of the dust off his little body. The doctor complained and grumbled about the old air vent and all the dirty that came out of it. The irritated look on Ratchet's face told me what was coming next.

"Now I'm going to have to give you a bath!"

**Hehe, bath time for Sparkling Prime! I know he's gonna love this! **

**Tagan Heights on Cybertron was once responsible for forty percent of all of the planet's industrial output, which is a lot. The factories were very dangerous and I'm sure the disease Cosmic Rust was an issue when working with sometimes contaminated metals. **

**I own Clearout, Wingspar, Faultline and Halyard. I'll tell you a bit about them. Clearout is a young femme who was wise for her age and close friends with Soundwave. She also liked being around Wingspar. Clearout was murdered after she was severely violated and with a long blade through the spark. Wingspar is the deceased sparkling of Soundwave and Halyard, who loved to explore but didn't like strangers. He was killed when his home was broken into and shot in the head twice. **

**Faultline is a psychotic serial killer who murdered ten sparklings, severely violated and killed countless femmes. There is no documentation on where he came from or who he really is. He escaped custody and disappeared, unable to be tracked down by Soundwave or the police. Halyard is the deceased sparkmate of Soundwave, who preferred to be called 'Halli'. She loved children, cybercats and was a very light-sparked femme, able to find something to smile about in even the worst of situations. She was a victim of one of the many Cosmic Rust outbreaks. **

**IBrokeThe4thWall, thank you for reminding me about Wheeljack. I kinda forgot about him. I credit his POV to you.**

**Sparklings, I credit the scene where Optimus thanks Miko to you.**

**KayleeChiara, I credit Soundwave's journal entry to you. I will be following the Cons through Soundwave's journal for the time being.**

**Optimus' girl, does Optimus get adopted by Ratchet? …Maybe, maybe not. ;)**

**Thank you all for the ideas! Ans speaking of ideas, if you have an idea, don't hesitate to tell me in a review.**

**Until next time and let me know what you think!**


	11. Water

**Grrr... _School_. *shudders* Anyway, here we are, the eleventh chapter of Tiny!**

**Starts in Optimus's POV and I don't own the Transformers.**

**Hope ya like it!**

I did not expect for the air vent grill to have so much dirt behind it. The child within me was curious and I allowed myself to crawl over to vent. Before I realized it, I was covered in the black soot. All I could do was attempt to rub all of the dirt out of my optics, a task I was failing at. This is very embarrassing.

I felt myself being picked up and dusted off. I soon realized that it was Ratchet who had taken me off the ground.

"Now I'll have to give you a bath!" The child within me instantly panicked, but I was able to remain in control of my tiny frame. I sneezed, dust escaping my vents, and looked up at Ratchet. While I thinking of what I could say to the irritated mech, I heard someone speak.

"_That was so adorable!"_ Bumblebee said, speaking in a slightly higher pitch than his normal voice. Arcee rolled her optics at the scout.

"You are such a sucker for cute things." Bumblebee's doorwings bounced slightly as he turned to Arcee, servos on his hips.

"_And you're not? Weren't you the first person to hold baby Optimus?" _The argument continued back and forth, though it was a decidedly playful one. Ratchet shook his head and told Ms. Darby that he would continue their conversation in a little while. He walked down the hall towards the makeshift waskracks he had constructed some time ago.

Once he entered and set me down in a chair in the room, I pondered the fact that I was going to receive a bath. It had been a long time since I last had one, since my frame is normally too large for the method of cleansing. The child within wished to hear none of this and did not want a bath under any circumstances. Knowing that the child within is capable of seizing full control of me at a moment's notice, I suppose this will be an interesting experience.

The bathing tub Ratchet built looked very similar to the ones humans use. This one was constructed of stainless steel and various other metals he had found in the silo. Normally, the type of bath a Cybertronian could expect to have would be one with oil. But, the oil from Earth would mostly irritate the sensitive plating on the frame. I can assume that the plumbing will provide water rather than oil. Ratchet turned the water on and the sound of the liquid beginning to fill the tub met my audio receptors.

I was intrigued at the idea of being bathed in water. On Cybertron, water was so rare that it was synonymous with myths and legends of the old. I recall first learning about the unique liquid while working as a data clerk. Initially I did not think that water could exist in such large quantities on relatively small location, but in my travels across the galaxies, nature has proven me wrong numerous times.

Suddenly, I felt myself being picked up from the chair I sat in and placed on my back on a nearby table. I stared up at Ratchet as he loosened the armor on my arms and chest, as well as on my lower body. I was instantly very grateful that Ratchet closed the door. I would be extremely embarrassed if someone other than the red and white mech standing over me saw my exposed body.

I curiously blinked up at Ratchet as he grumbled irritably about dust and how hard it would be to clean all of the dirt off my frame. He lifted me from the table and moved over to the large metal tub and turned off the water. I looked down. I could not tell exactly how deep the water was, but, I doubt Ratchet would have allowed the depth to become an issue. I heard Ratchet's knee joints creak slightly as he kneeled next to the tub. He shifted me to one arm and braced himself on the edge of the tub, most likely so that he would fall into the water. Once he was settled, he gently placed me down into the water that would be up to my chassis if I sat down in it. Its warmth took a moment for my frame to grow used to, and after a few seconds, I began to relax into the water. The liquid seeped through the small seams of my frame, giving me the illusion that the water was warming me from the inside as well.

"Let's give you a good rinse first…" Ratchet had pulled a cloth out from beside him. It looked to be a large white towel left by the previous tenants of the missile silo. For him, towel appeared to be no larger than his cleaning rag. Ratchet turned on the water again and I watched as he soaked the towel in his servo.

"Now, shutter your optics." I did so obediently and I felt the pleasant liquid wash smoothly over my little helm. I could not help smile in a relaxed manner as I sat in the still water.

"Well, we got most of the dust off you, but you still need a proper bath," Ratchet said as he took a can of frame wash from a shelf above the metal tub. He poured some of the blue tinted liquid onto the towel. It was not any kind of frame wash I have ever seen from Cybertron, but Ratchet had given a can to all of us one year after we arrived here, all of the nature derived scents differing depending on the bot. Perhaps he made it himself. I smiled at the familiar scent of Cybertonian frame wash as he rubbed the wash into the towel until it formed glistening white foam. I can only wonder where he learned to create the wonderfully scented frame wash.

Ratchet gently took my arm and used the frame wash towel to cover it in the white foam. Before long I was completely covered in the delicately scented foam, aside from my faceplates. I could feel the child within me growing mischievous and decided to allow the child to act out. By now, the tub was filled with white foam constructed of millions of tiny bubbles.

"Hmmm, where did I put that frame wash..." Ratchet turned around briefly to look for the can. I looked at the foam floating around my frame and swept my arm through it. I cocked my helm to the side when I saw that my arm had left a trail. I scooped up some of the foam and held it in my servo. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as this scenario became very familiar.

…Ratchet's POV…

I'm starting to believe that I somehow lost to can of frame wash in the tub. I grumbled as I looked around for it. Things like that don't just disappear. I briefly glanced over at Optimus.

My sparkling was very well behaved, but that was to be expected. He just sat, covered in fluffy white foam, and occupied himself with something as I continued my search for the missing can. While he was getting to foam off his little servos, I saved the image in my CPU, reminding myself that I would transfer the data to a datapad to show the others. I smiled slightly to myself.

Optimus never fails to show me just how adorable sparklings can be.

Ah, here it is. I held up the can of frame wash that I must have accidently kicked and turned back to Optimus. I was about to say something to Optimus when I received a face full of bubble-foam.

…And he never fails to show me just how annoying they can be.

I instantly stood and took a small step back as I wiped the bubble-foam off my faceplates. I heard a _lot_ of giggling coming from a certain white and gold sparkling.

"Ha ha, I forgot how to laugh," I grumbled as I crouched next to the tub again. He just continued to laugh at me, large optics bright. I grabbed the soaked towel and proceeded in scrubbing the filth off his frame. There were no further sparkling antics (thank Primus), and I gently rinsed him off. By then, the frame wash bubbles had settled down into the now clouded water. This is when Optimus decided on the oh so _wonderful_ choice of splashing around.

"He- Hey! Will you stop it?! You're getting water all over the floor!" I exclaimed as I attempted to stop my sparkling from hitting the water's surface again. I reached towards his arm, but before I could, he _deliberately_ splashed me!

"Alright, you little monster, time for you to get out-" Optimus's optics grew wide at the idea of me detaching him from the thing he was having so much fun with at my expense and attempted to wade out of my reach. I rolled my optics and leaned over to grab him, supporting my weight on the edge of the tub.

I should have known my servo would slip.

The next thing I know, I had landed on my face in the tub. Because of the height of the edge of the tub, my pedes were up in the air. I can hear that sparkling laughing hysterically at me. I stayed right where I was and groaned. I will never live this down.

"_Ratchet, we heard a loud boom and-… What are you doing?" _I groaned even louder at the sound of the snickering voice. Primus, why me? It just had to be Bumblebee. I tried to put my pedes back on the floor, but quickly realized that I couldn't do that without making an aft out of myself. So I just opted to shift around until I see some of Bee standing in the doorway, who was trying far too hard to hide his laughter.

"Evidently I'm taking a bath as well," I quipped, left optic twitching. Go ahead and laugh, Bumblebee. I have no more dignity left to lose.

"_I'm just gonna... I'll just leave."_ Bumblebee laughed as his doorwings quivered. Thankfully, he walked back out and closed the door. I righted myself (even alone with Optimus, I made an aft out of myself trying to stand up) and begged Primus to make sure Bumblebee doesn't say anything to the others about.

A second later I heard a roar of laughter from the main room.

I sighed and looked at Optimus, who was sitting innocently in the clouded water. Shaking my helm, I pulled the plug to let the water drain. I grabbed the soaked towel, rang the water out of it and grabbed another, dry towel. Then I picked Optimus up and dried him off. His shining armor squeaked under the towel in my servo, making me nod in approval.

Once I was done, I stepped away from the now empty tub and laid Optimus down on his back on the table to tighten his armor. He silently stared at me with his huge, bright optics. Optimus looked like he was ready for a nap. I wrapped him up in a fresh towel so that only his faceplate was visible. That'll encourage him to sleep. I smiled when I heard Optimus emit a soft purring sound. Shifted him to the crook of my arm, I began to quickly clean the mess the two of us had made in the room.

My sparkling's optic shutters grew heavy as he lay wrapped in the towel in my arms. I smiled and walked out of the room with my engines humming. The sound of my engines and sparkbeat was helping lull my sparkling into recharge, something I wouldn't mind him doing. He's been up for a while now.

Walking back to the main room, I remembered my conversation with Nurse Darby that was cut short.

...

Everyone looked up as I walked into the hard white light of the main room. Everyone looked, aside from Arcee and Wheeljack, who must've gone to places elsewhere in the silo. I glared at Bumblebee and the others in the room as they started to laugh.

"_Shut it_! Optimus is sleeping!" Thankfully they quieted down once they saw my sparkling recharging peacefully in his towel. The children were preoccupied with their games in the recreational corner and Nurse Darby was watching them while she leaned on the railing. Her face lit up as soon as she turned around and saw me.

"Hello, Doctor." She glanced at Optimus and smiled sympathetically up at me. "Did he give you a hard time?"

I was instantly reminded of the bubble-foam my sparkling threw at me, the water he seemed to love splashing on me, and when I slipped and faceplanted into the bottom of the tub.

"No, not particularly."

Nurse Darby nodded. "That's good. Ratchet, I've been meaning to ask you something..." She glanced back at the children and moved to go down the stairs. I swayed from side to side, feeling the warmth of my sleeping sparkling, as I watched her walk past Bumblebee, Bulkhead, me and towards the hallway. I stepped closer to the hallway and looked down at the human curiously. What did she want to ask me that needed to be answered in private?

"What did you want to ask me, Nurse Darby?" I asked. That's when I noticed that her face was turning slightly red. It was not cold in the room and I'm certain she doesn't have a cold or fever since she is showing no other symptoms. Humans did this when they were embarrassed. I cocked my helm slightly to the side. What was embarrassing her?

I heard her take a deep breath and compose herself. I arched an optic ridge at her question. "Exactly how to sparklings come about?"

It was a legitimate question, albeit an awkward one. Well, I can't just ignore her question. The notion of robotic organisms like us being capable of having children must be hard for an organic to grasp. I will give her the best explanation I can without traumatizing the children, in case they overhear our conversation. "...Well, we Cybertronians can come about through two methods. The first being the Well of AllSparks."

Nurse Darby nodded in recognition. "I heard you say something about the Well of AllSparks a while ago. I just never knew what it was."

I briefly wondered when she overheard me saying that. "The Well of AllSparks serves as a direct conduit to the life force of the creator of our species, Primus. On Cybertron, mechs and femmes emerge directly from the Well as a protoform. A protoform is, simply put, a Cybertronian without an alternate mode. They wander around the nearby area until they were found by the bots stationed there. This unfortunately no longer happens since Cybertron's life giving core has gone dark. Anyway, the bot that emerged from the Well was promptly placed into a caste and assigned a guardian. This guardian taught the new bot to assume their most natural alternate mode, among other things."

The human looked very interested in what I had to say. I suppose that's not surprising, considering the obvious differences between our species. My sparkling shifted in his slumber as I spoke again.

"The second method is less common among our species. I refuse to go into the details in such close proximity to the children, but it is similar to how you humans procreate. One major difference is that gender, or frame type, doesn't determine the carrier. However, femmes are better known on our planet for being carriers."

"How is that possible?" She asked, a confused look crossing her face.

"How is what possible?"

"How is it that the gender doesn't matter when it comes to carrying the sparkling?" I can understand why she asked. Only human females can carry the child within her. Such a difference must be hard for a human to understand. I blinked down at her.

"There are a multitude of reasons as to why this is, but that is a question you'd have to ask Primus."

"...Does the carrier show the way our females do?" Nurse Darby asked cautiously. She must be worried that she is going to somehow offend me. I don't understand why. She knows I'm a medic and have no issues with explaining these things to anyone who wants to know. I adjusted my hold on my sparkling and answered her question.

"It all depends on the carrier's frame size and type. The growth of the sparkling within the gestation chamber of the carrier normally does show, but the size of the carrier themselves determines how much they will become noticeable."

"Interesting. Is the delivery like ours?" Nurse Darby asked while she brushed a lock of hair out of her face. I nodded.

"Complete with the pain and contractions."

"It's amazing how different and similar Cybertronians and humans really are. Right down to the biology," Nurse Darby said thoughtfully. She was right; it is amazing how two species, whose origins are galaxies apart, can be so strikingly similar.

There was a brief silence and I gazed up at the children who were absorbed into their game. Bumblebee and Bulkhead were watching them and cheering along when their charge's car sped ahead of the others. Optimus was clearly enjoying his nap wrapped in the warm towel. I could see a tiny smile on his shiny faceplates. I reached up and gently stroked his little face with my index finger. My spark warmed when his tiny smile grew at the contact.

"Do you have any kids?" Nurse Darby suddenly asked. The question was relevant, but I didn't see it coming.

"I do not. Though I wish I did."

"I thought you considered him yours." She said, gesturing up towards Optimus.

I looked down at the human, optics brightening. "Make no mistake, I do, but he is not my biological child."

"Oh, I get what you mean. Well, you'll meet that special person someday." I smirked at her last statement.

Soon after that, Nurse Darby had to leave. She said she was working the nightshift at the hospital. The children all said their goodbyes and continued to play their game, laughing and joking with each other, as well as with Bulkhead and Bumblebee. I stood off to the side, content with holding Optimus close to my chassis. Checking my internal chronometer, I proceeded to smile to myself and continue with my plans. I will need the assistance of the others for tomorrow. It was a very important day.

In human terms, tomorrow was Optimus's birthday.

...Soundwave's POV: Datapad Journal Entry #43...

I was quite surprised to see Lord Megatron carrying Starscream back onto the warship. …Although, 'dragging' would be a better word for the action. The beating Starscream suffered did inflict much damage on his frame. However, nothing irreparable was damaged. The Seeker was taken to Knockout's medbay to be repaired.

Lord Megatron could have killed the treacherous Seeker for attempting to murder the sparkling, whom I suspect he has come to think of as a younger brother. But, I believe that he has determined the punishment the Autobot medic gave him was enough.

I have concluded that everybot on the warship has silently agreed to give Starscream the 'cold shoulder', as I once heard the top Vehicon officer, Volk, say. No one has obeyed any of his commands, and Lord Megatron knows about the insubordination but hasn't said a word. The entire crew of the warship now knows of what he attempted to do to Parvolus. Word of the incident traveled very quickly around the ship. Everybot is angry, upset, or extremely disappointed in Rudder's case, at Starscream. In my personal opinion, they have every right to feel the way they do towards Starscream.

Parvolus is the first sparkling in a very long time, and many of the bots who remember a time when sparklings could run and play freely without the threat of danger around every corner were very enthusiastic about raising the little one. I assume that the faction of the little one did not matter to the majority of these bots. The idea of the start of the next generation for our dwindling species excited all of us.

I don't know if the entire ship yet knows of Parvolus's absence, though I do know that some have taken notice. Through my surveillance system I viewed footage of Vehicons repeatedly asking Breakdown and Rudder where the sparkling was. The Vehicon officer, Tripwire, approached me in regards to the little one's location. The mech was trustworthy and knew how to hold his glossa. I gave him a vague explanation as to where the little one currently was using my recordings.

Rudder came to my office not long ago, saying that I did the right thing with the sparkling. I was comforted by the old mech's words. Normally a Vehicon would not approach me on such a personal matter, but I was fine with Rudder doing it. The old bot was the one who helped deliver Wingspar and tried to save Halli before she died of Cosmic Rust. I first met him in the medbay of the Tagan Heights factory complex I worked in many vorns ago. He soon got to know my sparkmate, Halli, who was carrying then and guided us through the carrying stage. He became a close friend of the family. I am honestly surprised that the mech joined the Decepticons, given his kindly, care giving nature. But every mech has his reasons.

Ravage misses the presence of the little one, as much as he would hate to admit it. While I was working, he would often entertain the sparkling. Parvolus thoroughly enjoyed playing Ravage's tail. I'm sure Parvolus reminded Ravage of a cyberkitten, judging by the way I had seen him carrying the little one. I once saw Ravage sleeping with Parvolus, his tail curled around the little one.

Even Lord Megatron cannot hide the fact that he too misses the sparkling. He is doing his absolute best to conceal it, though there is no hiding the increases irritation and annoyance. Unlike the others, he has not spoken of the little one. However, my sensitivity to electric pulses in the CPU allowed me to conclude that his mind frequently wandered over to the well-being of the little one. The electric pulses in Lord Megatron's CPU strengthen when he is more irritated than usual, a feature unique to him. The sparkling's absence is the only thing that would irritate him in this manner. At the moment he is not irritated because of Starscream (I can't precisely tell what he feels about the Seeker as of now), so I can assume he is not an issue. Lord Megatron tended to project in the presence and absence of the little one that he didn't care about the sparkling, but the fact that he is attempting to give that impression makes it known to me that he truly feels the opposite.

He feels like a brother to the little one, whom he had taken a liking to calling 'runt', and undoubtedly feels Parvolus should be here with the Decepticons. While the little one was here, Parvolus often napped in Lord Megatron's office. Of course, our leader was there with him to keep an optic on the little one. He enjoyed the little one's cheerful presence.

All in all, the little one left a lasting impression on the crew of the _Nemesis_. Once he was gone, it felt as if a piece of us all was taken away.

...There is something that I wish to do, though I am not sure if I will be allowed to. But, the only way to confirm that I can is by asking.

~Soundwave

**Birthday boy Optimus is going to get one heck of a surprise tomorrow! What's Ratchet planning? And what does Sounndwave want to do? So many mysteries! XD  
**

**In regards to the conversation between Ms. Darby and Ratchet about Cybertronian anatomy, I created the second method of procreation in my mind using pure logic. I will not be doing anything related to slash romance. That was just an anatomy lesson.**

**KayleeChiara, you are full of awesome ideas. I dedicate the anatomy lesson to you.  
**

**EndlessHope'22, how do I know so much about Cybertron places and whatnot? I am a really REALLY big Transformers nerd and have done a huge amount of research on that sort of stuff. So... yeah. X)**

**Optimus's girl, I have read the fic you recommended in your review, but it was super long and I couldn't read it all. I plan on fixing that, though.  
**

**I wanna thank all of you who reviewed the last chap! :)  
**

**Sparkling Prime is going to get gifts, and you get to decide which ones they are! Go on; don't be shy! **

**As always, if you have comments or ideas, just drop a review. See ya'll next time!  
**

**P.S. I keep hearing about these youth sectors on Cybertron that got destroyed by the Decepticons, but I can't find any information on the event. I heard that Bumblebee was the one of the only to survive the whole thing, but that's about it. Can you help me out here?  
**


	12. Toys

**Here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again! The new chapter of Tiny! **

**Starts in Ratchet's POV. I don't own Transformers, they own themselves. :P**

**Let's go!**

Miko was very excited to hear that Optimus's spark day was tomorrow, along with the others. My son is asleep in my berthroom, giving us all night to prepare for the celebration. All of them were glad to contribute to the preparations. I already know that they plan on getting Optimus presents. Bumblebee said that he'll make the oil cake and Bulkhead and Arcee will assist with decorations. Jack, Miko and Rafael had to leave the base soon, but they will help with decorations by bringing supplies early tomorrow morning. I know Optimus would still be recharging in my berthroom, so we won't have to worry about him much.

Before the children left, Jack told me that he'd bring some cake. When Bumblebee said that he was making the cake, the black haired human pointed out that his species most likely couldn't eat our cake with becoming very sick. That was an excellent point. The last thing I want in the silo is sick humans. The organics are strange enough as it is.

"Hey, Bee? What kind of cake are you making?" Bulkhead asked the youngling as all of us bots stood in the main control room. Even Wheeljack is participating in our plans for Optimus.

"_You know Warper's cake?"_ Bee asked, gaining a smile in his optics. Recognition filled Bulkhead's optics and the green mech nodded his helm.

"Are you kidding? I love that oil cake! Used to get it all the time back on Cybertron!" I had to agree with Bulkhead's reaction. Warper's oil cake was a simple, yet deliciously sweet dessert. It was very popular among bots of all castes. I have yet to meet a bot who did not like Warper's oil cake. It was one of the few things the binding society of Cybertron allowed everybot to experience and enjoy.

"_You don't need a whole lot of different things to make that cake, so I can use ingredients from this planet."_ The yellow scout turned to go down the hallway. _"I'll go start on it now. The sooner, the better." _

I nodded once and watched him go. Soon I turned to the others. "The rest of you can do what you want, so long as you're active in assisting with this celebration. We don't have any time to waste."

The others nodded and left in separate directions to conduct their own contributions. The celebration we planned would not be strictly traditional with old Cybertronian ways. In fact, on Cybertron, the only bots who celebrated spark days were to bots of higher castes. Having been born into a high caste myself, I have received a few spark day celebrations from family and friends. Spark days passed unnoticed among the middle and lower caste bots. The vast majority of them could not afford to take time out for the luxury.

While Optimus was a grown mech, he never mentioned celebrating his spark day at any time, but he did tell me the date over energon one solar cycle. I am assuming this would be his first true spark day celebration. The combination of human traditions and Cybertronian ones would make the experience all the more interesting for him.

Tomorrow, Optimus will technically be exactly 120, 483 vorns old. I can't say how old he would be if he were the age of an actual sparkling, given his abnormally small size. As much as I would love to check his protoform to see his age, I already know that the data I would receive will show that he is the age of a grown mech, rather than a sparkling. I can only guess that he's in the very early youngling stage, just beginning to develop a functioning T-Cog.

I walked off towards by berthroom, spark warming in anticipation. Once I reached the door, I slowly opened it and peeked inside. I smiled at the site I saw in the darkened room.

My son was sleeping just where I had left him on my berth. Optimus had shifted around in his towel, freeing one arm. He was on his front and had one digit in his partially opened mouth. I silently stepped further in and moved to sit on the edge of the berth next to my sparkling. The smile on my faceplates broadened as I gently stroked my sparkling's shiny faceplates. He loosed a quiet purring sound from his engines as he slept peacefully.

"I know you're going to like your spark day celebration, Optimus." I whispered, knowing he couldn't hear me. I readjusted the towel so that it covered his tiny shoulders again and stood to leave.

A muted whimper met my audio receptors and I instantly turned around. My sparkling was still asleep, though he seemed to sense that I was going to leave the room. A saddened expression spread across his face as he started to become restless in his recharge. I leaned over him and stroked his back gingerly, cooing comforting words into his audio receptors.

He quickly calmed down and grew still once more. I stood again and quietly walked towards the door. I would love to spend the rest of the night here, but I must assist in his celebration tomorrow. I must prepare my gift to him, just the other bots and the children are.

"Good night, my son." I murmured before silently closing the door behind me.

...Optimus's POV: Next Day at Noon...

I awoke from my slumber much later than I normally do. Looking around, I realized that I was in Ratchet's room on his berth. The child within me wished to recharge more, but I overpowered it and sat up. The child within remained quiet, though I could still sense what the child wanted. The warm towel I was wrapped in slid down my chassis and settled on my lap. I rubbed my optics and blinked a few times to grow used to the low light of the room.

Suddenly, I heard my tanks rumble. I realized that I was in need of refueling. The child within me instantly seized full control of me, and before I could restrain myself, I released a loud wail.

The only thing I wanted at that moment was to be fed, so I decided not to struggle against instinctive wails of a hungry sparkling. I did not have long to wait for someone to arrive.

I continued to cry when Bumblebee opened the door to Ratchet's dark room. Light flooded in around the scout's silhouette as he walked closer to me. I soon felt my tiny frame being picked up and held against a warm chassis. Though I was comfortably warm, the rumbling in my tanks did not subside. Bumblebee revved his engines as he walked back out into the brightly lit hallway, attempting to calm me down.

Thankfully, the young mech quickly understood the message behind my cries. He swiftly walked to the energon storeroom and retrieved the smallest cube he could find. By the swiftness of his actions, I can assume that he knew exactly how much I wanted the energon.

Soon, I was drinking my fill of energon from the cube Bumblebee was holding as he walked down the hallway, towards the main control room. I relaxed into the crook of his arm, the child within contented. While I refueled I wondered why Bumblebee had come for me. Ratchet was the one who always fed me. I could not help but wonder where Ratchet was as my tank filled with energon.

"_Man, were you hungry!"_ Bumblebee laughed as he looked down at me. I glanced up at him and smiled around the tip of the cube. He laughed again as he walked into the main control room. Once I looked around the room, I forgot about the cube I was clutching and stared.

There were balloons of all different colors on strings tied to the railing, multicolored streamers lined the walls and confetti littered the floor. Wheeljack, Ratchet, Arcee, Bulkhead and the children all stood in the center of the room, smiling at me. Miko had an especially excited expression on her face as she stood next to Bulkhead's pede, wearing a colorful, cone-shaped hat on her head. Jack and Rafael wore the same type of strange hat Miko was wearing as well. I noticed a human sized table with a white and gold trimmed table with boxes and what appeared to be a cake sitting there on it, as if the items were waiting for me. I looked back at the people standing around Bumblebee and I, confused. I do not understand. What is happening?

Bumblebee gently tapped me on the arm with a single digit, gaining my attention. The smile in his optics was unmistakable as he pointed up. I followed the direction where he was urging me to look and stared up at a banner that read-

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Almost everyone in the room shouted what the banner above my helm read. I could not help but smile as the three children began to cheer. Ratchet must have told the others the date of my spark day. They seem to have put quite a bit of effort into putting this celebration together for me. They also incorporated human traditions into this celebration.

Bumblebee crouched and lowered me down to the ground after walking into the center of the room. Ratchet was standing short distance away with a smile on his faceplates. He knew this was my first true spark day celebration. The presence of the humans will indeed make this event all the more memorable and interesting.

I can only imagine what the others have planned for me.

...Bulkhead's POV...

I've never seen Miko this happy about anything before. She had brought all the balloons and streamers and had the rest of us put them up all over the main room. There were balloons everywhere. She wanted them on the floors too, but the other bots and I would pop them all trying to walk around.

I helped Miko with her gift for Optimus. I was kind of surprised to see which gift she wanted to give Optimus. I was expecting something like a semi automatic rubber band launcher.

"Hey, the birthday boy needs his party hat!" Miko said excitedly. She ran up to Optimus and put one of those weird little cone-shaped hats on his helm. He didn't seem to mind wearing the paper hat as Miko stood back and snapped a picture of him sitting there on the floor with her phone. Bumblebee and I laughed at how silly Optimus looked with that hat on. Ratchet just smiled a bit and shook his helm.

"Let's start with the gifts." Arcee said, putting a servo on her hip. "Miko, you can go first."

Miko was almost bouncing on her feet as she walked over to the table she and Jack set up earlier for the gifts. Optimus just looked her, optics growing brighter than usual. She went and grabbed a box wrapped in red paper and raced back to Optimus.

"I wonder what she got her." Wheeljack thought out loud. Ratchet looked like he was thinking the same thing. I looked at the fellow Wrecker.

"You'll see. Just let the little guy open it first." The sound of tearing paper filled the main room and paper shreds went everywhere. Optimus looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Bumblebee tilted his helm slightly to the side when she saw the gift in the little guy's servos.

"A photo album?" Jack and Raf looked just as surprised as Arcee did. The photo album was a red leather-bound book, was kept closed by a black elastic string, and had a huge white Autobot insignia on the center of the front cover.

"Yeah! Come on, Optimus! Go ahead and look at a few of them!" Miko urged, eyes lighting up. I just noticed that her hair has the habit of perking up a little bit, like cat ears when she's happy.

Optimus had a curious look on his face as he pulled the string off the cover and opened the album. I laughed out loud when I saw the first one. It was a photo of Ratchet and Bee standing in the room we were in now. Bee was blurred as he ran past the camera with a blurred wrench flying right behind him. Ratchet was frozen in an angry shout, arm raised after throwing the wrench. I looked back at Ratchet.

"Why'd you do that?" He just blinked at me.

"Our lovely scout stepped on and broke one of my favorite wrenches."

I looked over at Bee. "How'd you survive that?" Ratchet gets really pissed when his stuff gets broken. And I should know.

"_I still can't figure out the answer to that one."_

Optimus was all smiles when he turned the page looking at other pictures in the leather bound book. Miko has been taking a lot more pictures than I thought. For some of the pictures, she got some of us to pose for the camera (mostly Bumblebee), but a lot of them were of us doing our usual thing, and Miko doing something silly in the background. In one picture, Optimus (as a grown mech) was intently staring into a datapad, standing somewhere in the hallway. You could see Miko in the background imitating his exact stance, making the whole scene look as funny as the serious looks on both of their faces.

She had to have gotten Jack to take the ones she was in. I glanced down at Jack, who was rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

The little guy looked up at Miko with this look on his face, like he was asking why she was imitating him behind his back. I was wondering the same thing, but it's not out of the ordinary for Miko to just go around messing with the other 'Bots when she's bored. Miko got the message and shrugged.

"You're kinda easy to mess with." Optimus gave her a slightly disapproving look, but didn't seem to mind her doing the whole imitating thing too much.

Then, a smile lit up his little face. "Thank you, Meeko!"

"You are welcome, little dude!"

I watched Optimus put his gift from Miko down next to him. Time for the next gift. Arcee turned and grabbed something from on top of a crate near the wall behind her. I wonder what she has for him. Bee buzzed curiously and refocused his optics. All of us watched as Arcee crouched in front of Optimus and set his gift down in front of him. I still hadn't figured out what the gift was when Optimus squealed with joy.

"S- Sonic keyz!" I raised my optic ridges. How did Arcee get a sonic keyboard? I was about to ask when Jack asked another question.

"What are sonic keys?"

"_A sonic keyboard is a Cybertronian musical instrument. It's a lot like the piano, only some of the high and low notes humans can't hear,"_ Bee explained. While Raf was translating for him, Optimus was already playing around with the instrument, tapping out short little tunes. There were only a few that I recognized. I decided to ask Arcee how in the world she got an authentic sonic keyboard. She just smiled a bit and said that she 'had her ways'.

I'm not gonna question it. Seeing a little piece of Cybertron every once in a while is nice.

While Optimus was playing with the instrument and thanking Arcee, I pulled my gift to him out of my subspace. "Happy Spark Day, Lil Boss Bot."

He turned at the sound of my voice. Arcee scoffed when she saw the gift I had for him. I smiled at her. She had seen me getting the gift together, so she knows what it is. His gift was in a bag that was about as big as he was, and was tied off at the top with a blue string. I had to fight with that little string to get it to tie right. I chuckled when I saw the look on Optimus's face.

"Well, don't just stare at it. Open it!" He up at me and back down at the gift sitting in front of him. Instead of tearing it open, he untied the knot and looked inside the opened bag. Miko leaned over him to see what was in the bag. Optimus's huge optics got even bigger when pulled out a piece.

"Is that candy?" Raf asked. Optimus had already stuffed a few crystals of the light purple energon candy and tried to crunch on them. Wheeljack smiled and shook his helm when he saw the frustrated look on Optimus's face. I nodded, looking down at Raf.

"Yep, a lot of it. It's my favorite kind."

Raf looked confused. "But how'd you get it?"

I shrugged. "It's not hard to make. That kind of energon candy was used by us Wreckers when we were sent on long distance missions back on Cybertron. Carrying enough energon around for all of us was a real pain in the butt, and it slowed us down. One of us figured out how to make some condensed energon candy while we were on the road. Ever since then, we used that as a way to stay functional and get the mission done faster. And it tasted great!"

"That's enough, Optimus. You're going to make yourself sick," Ratchet sternly scolded. The little guy pouted a bit as he put the crystal candy back in the bag. By then, he had bits of the candy stuck to his face and was licking his lips, trying to get the little pieces off. I laughed along with Bee when I saw that his glossa had turned purple.

"Th-Thanks, Bulkee!" My spark melted at the cheeky smile and the little nickname the little guy gave me.

"Aw, you're welcome." I turned and tapped Jackie on the shoulder. "You're up."

"Right." Before I knew it, my friend went and grabbed his gift to him. It looked like a human child's motorized car and had red and blue flames on the hood and body. It looked a lot like this car called a Camaro. Miko could sit in it comfortably if she wanted to. Ratchet was shaking his helm as he looked it over. Optimus tilted his helm to the side when Wheeljack set the car down in front of him.

"In you go." Wheeljack gently picked him up and lowered the little guy back down into the front seat of the car. Miko's eyes were glittery as she stared at the little car. Jack could tell what she thinking by the look on her face.

"No, you can't take it for a spin." Miko deflated at Jack's statement. I glanced back over at Jackie, who was explaining how the car worked to Optimus. Wheeljack crouched down in front of him and pointed at something in the car.

"Now this red button is the ignition. I know you know what that does." Wheeljack then pointed out the accelerator and the brake and other things that'll help Optimus not slam into a wall. He seemed to have everything down and turned the little car on. The car didn't really roar to life, but it was pretty close. Bee gave an impressed buzz as a thin vapor trail escaped the tailpipe of the car. It was little, but the engine sounded pretty powerful. The purr of the engine sounded more Cybertronian than human. I gazed over at my friend.

"Why'd you get him a car?" He just shrugged at me.

"Since the kid can't transform, I figured that he would miss his wheels." The sound of the small engine revving caught everyone's attention as the little guy tried the accelerator. He let up on the accelerator immediately, and stepped on it again. A bit too hard.

Suddenly the car raced forward, slamming smack into Ratchet's ankle. Bee and the kids snickered as he grabbed his ankle and hissed in pain. I tried to hide my smile. That was pretty funny!

"You all wouldn't think it's funny if you got hit with that death trap!" Ratchet glared. Bee just laughed out loud. Optimus got a sad look on his face as his optics got even bigger than they already were.

"Sah-wee." Ratchet's optics instantly softened at the sad little voice. He gazed down at the little sparkling staring back up at him.

"It's alright. Just be careful." Ratchet watched Optimus back the car up and speed around his ankles. He zipped around the room, tiny car engine humming loudly the entire way.

"_Wheeljack, what did you do to it? That engine is too powerful and small to be human," _Bee said.

"That's because it's not human. I built the engine last night and modified a human vehicle I found in a storage room somewhere in this silo. I had to keep some of the car's original engine parts to get it to work. It's not as fast or as fuel efficient as I would like, but at least I got it working with no bugs."

Optimus was just racing past Arcee's pedes when the little flamed car's brakes suddenly locked, making it whip around to face the opposite direction and screech to a stop right in front of Jackie. I raised my optic ridges. Man, he's already pretty good in that thing. Optimus squeaked a loud 'thank you' to Wheeljack from near his pedes. Jackie just gave the little sparkling a small smile as Optimus turned the little car off and climbed out. While Ratchet moved in to put the flamed car out of the way, I saw Raf jump up and run over to the white and gold table Miko's gift was on. He stumbled a bit trying to carry the huge (by his standards) white box over to where Optimus sat. Jack moved to help him with the bulky thing. I wonder what's in there...

"Here you go, Optimus. I hope you like it." Raf said after he put the box down next to the little guy. Optimus blinked a few times and used the box to help himself stand up. He's still not very stable on his pedes.

The little guy pried the box open and looked inside. "Fluffee."

I furrowed my optic ridges in confusion. What did that mean? Arcee looked like she had the same question. We all watched the sparkling reach inside and pull out our answer.

"_That is so cute!"_ Bee said, looking at the enormous stuffed tiger Optimus was pulling out of the box. Just the look in his optics told me that he absolutely love it.

"It had her since I was a baby. She's just been sitting around my house for a long time and once I heard your birthday was today, I thought you would like it." Raf smiled as Optimus moved the tiger around. The orange and black striped stuffed animal was almost as big as he was. The little sparkling buried his face into the back of the tiger's neck.

"W- Wuh... What's..." Optimus was having a hard time saying something and I couldn't figure it out. Raf had no problems, though.

"What's her name? Stripey."

"Stripey!" Optimus repeated happily, drawing out the 'E' sound in the stuffed tiger's name. His bright optics repeatedly said thank you to Raf, and the little human got the message. Suddenly Miko punched Jack in the shoulder playfully and whispered something to him. He said 'alright, alright' and went over to the table to grab what I'm assuming is a gift for Optimus.

"Hey, Optimus." The sparkling's helm turned in Jack's direction as he walked towards him with a gift bag in his hand. Optimus was still hugging his new stuffed tiger when Jack put the bag down in front of him. The little guy reached in the bag curiously and pulled out a finger paint set. It had four containers of four different colors: red, yellow, green, and blue. The box said the brand was Little Hawk's Art Materials. I heard it was a good brand of art stuff that's geared towards children.

"No, no, no. You are _not_ opening that up now," Ratchet protested. I guess he didn't want to get stuck with cleaning up paint from the floor. Optimus didn't look like he was going to open it, but he sure loved it. He seems to really like paint, especially the red.

Everyone had given him a gift... oh, wait, no. Everyone had given him a gift except Ratchet, who looked like he was reaching into his subspace to get the gift. Bee's gift'll come a little later. The Doc pulled out a small package that was wrapped plainly in bright blue paper. All of us looked at Ratchet as he crouched in front of the sparkling, who gave him his full attention. Doc Bot offered the little gift to him and Optimus gratefully took it.

Before long the wrapping was all the way off the gift and all of us (except Ratchet) were staring at it. It looked like a crystal, only it looked like it kept changing color. The top of the crystal was all dark blueish-purple, but the bottom, where Optimus was holding it, it more than one color. It had light blue, green and yellow. I looked at Ratchet.

"It's a color changing crystal from the Prima Gardens in Crystal City. It changes color according to how much heat the layer of liquid crystals on the main crystal it is exposed to. I took a trip there once before the war and took a sample of the crystal so I could study it, and I kept it ever since."

I nodded, impressed. The Prima Gardens were famous for the towering color changing crystals. It attracted tourists from all over Cybertron. I had never been, but I heard a lot about the place. A lot of people said the crystals were even bigger than the towers of the Golden Age and the most beautiful things you would ever see. Legends say that the pure souls of sparklings live in the crystals. I'm surprised Ratchet was even allowed to take a sample of the crystal.

Optimus turned the crystal over and over in his servos, staring at all the different colors in the crystal. Now he has two pieces of Cybertron. The little guy thanked Ratchet for the gift. Bumblebee took that as a cue to go and get his gift to Optimus.

The sparkling's face lit up as soon as he saw the cake Bumblebee was carrying. It was the Warper's oil cake Bee made last night for Optimus. Miko clapped her hands together.

"Time to sing to the birthday boy!"

...Optimus's POV: Ten Minutes Later...

Being sung to by the other 'Bots and the children is a very interesting experience.

Humans had the strange tradition of singing to the person being celebrated for turned one year older. There was no such thing on Cybertron. The most I can recall occurring in the average Cybertronian spark day celebration was sharing oil cake among family and friends, and giving gifts to the bot being celebrated. The vast majority of spark day celebrations took place among higher caste bots, mechs and femmes who could afford the luxury of the occasion. I was born into a middle caste, so spark days came and went swiftly. The most I would do as a data clerk was mentally recognize that I was a vorn older and resume my daily routine.

It is almost sad that it took the Great War for me to experience something as simple as a spark day celebration.

I loved all the gifts that the others gave me, not expecting to receive so much. The child within was ecstatic to see to finger paint set that Jack had given me, and memories of throwing paint at a Decepticon filled my processor after I saw the clear plastic container of red paint next to the other three colors.

Miko's gift was unexpected. I did not know what to expect, but a photo album with pictures of myself, the children and the other 'Bots was not the sort of gift I would expect Miko to give someone. I was surprised to see that Arcee had given me a sonic keyboard. I have yet to learn of how she managed to obtain such a Cybertronian instrument. I received sonic key lessons many vorns ago when I was a youngling and the pleasant memories of my carrier assisting me in practice were welcomed.

Needless to say, I was very happy with Wheeljack's gift to me. I decided in the first week of my new sparkling days that I would miss the ability to transform and speed down a vacant desert road at night. I was happy to gain a sense of speed in the little car he had built for me. Ratchet was not pleased when I accidentally rammed the car into his ankle, however.

The child within me was practically shouting the word 'candy' when I opened Bulkhead's gift to me. Even as a grown mech, I had a weakness for sweet things. That weakness only worsened when Bumblebee gave his gift to me, the Warper's cake. It tasted heavenly.

I have a new friend today. Rafael had given me Stripey, the enormous stuffed tiger with very soft fur. I am touched to know that Rafael had given me something that was so significant to him in his younger years. Ratchet's gift to me was an instant reminder of nature on Cybertron. So much myth and legend surrounds these Prima crystals originating from the Prima Gardens, the crystals themselves were believed to have magical properties. With the strange, paranormal happenings that were common around the Prima crystals, I would not be surprised if the mysterious crystals did.

The Prima crystals are believed to have existed since the birth of Cybertron itself. One legend says that the spark of the first Cybertronian, Prima, resides in the towering crystals, while others state that the pure sparks of younglings who were separated and never reunited with their creators live and play and dance with one another in the crystals. The crystal fragment I had in my tiny servo now was constantly shifting in color and each never remained in one place, as if they were dancing in rhythm to one another.

Miko was standing before the white and gold table, cutting the human cake that Jack had brought and passing out the pieces to her human friends. I was sitting on the floor, so I was not able to see what had suddenly caught her attention.

"Hey, guys. Someone forgot a gift." I noticed the confused expression on Ratchet's faceplates above me. My faceplates reflected the expression. I received gifts from everyone in this room. The gift that seems to have appeared on the table did not make sense. Bulkhead took a tiny step forward.

"Who's it from?" Miko took the small, neatly wrapped box from the table and looked at each side.

"It only says it's to Optimus." She said after scrutinizing the tiny label on the box. She shrugged and turned to hand the present to me. I reached out and took it from her.

"Well, your name's on it. Somebody wanted you to have it." Everyone in the room leaned forward to see what was in the box as I cautiously pulled off the dull silver wrapping. Silence filled the room as I opened the white box inside. The object inside the box nestled in neatly folded tissue paper surprised me.

It was a small silver and black Autobot insignia necklace on a silver chain. I was bordering on mesmerized as I pulled the necklace out of the box by the chain and stared at the slowly spinning insignia. This was a wonderful gift. The others around me marveled at the necklace and asked each other if they had given it to me. Neither I nor they found an answer. I looked over at Arcee and saw the answer.

Cliffjumper stood directly behind his former partner, smiling that familiar, serene smile. A light shone around his horned helm as his soft white optics glowed brightly. Arcee didn't see the red mech standing behind her and continued her conversation with Bumblebee. Memories of the moment Clifjumper pulled me from the danger of falling to my death from the _Nemesis_ filled my processor. I remember every nanoklik of that moment vividly. I remember the terror I felt when Starscream left me to die. I remember feeling safer than I had in a very long time when he held me close to his chassis. I remember the sorrow I felt when I realized that I never had the opportunity to thank my savior. I opened my mouth to make his presence known to the others when he spoke to me, smiling gently.

"_Happy Spark Day."_

I stared at him in shock briefly before recovering and attempting to notify the others again, though I doubted anyone could see him. Ratchet was facing his direction, but was not looking at him. No sound could escape my voice box when the red spirit raised a digit to his lips.

"_Shhh... I'll see you later." _

He waved as the red spirit's frame blew away like sand in a wind I could not feel and disappeared, his serene smile remaining until I could see him no longer. I stared at the place Cliffjumper once stood behind Arcee. The blue femme shivered and looked behind her.

"Did it suddenly get cold in here, or is it just me?" She asked, glancing at the others. Bumblebee refocused his optics and said that it was just her. The expression on her face said that she was not convinced, but she did not say anything more.

It seems I am the only one who saw the red spirit.

"Hey, Jack." My helm whipped around at the sound of Miko getting her human friend's attention. Before Jack could acknowledge her, she slammed the plate of cake Jack had in his hand and into his face.

The room erupted with laughter as Jack fell on his back, frantically wiped the frosting off his face. I found myself laughing as well. Even Ratchet was having difficulty restraining his snorts. Miko pointed and laughed.

"Ha, I've _always_ wanted to do that!"

Jack stood and licked some of the frosting off his fingers before grabbing a slice of cake from the table, an uncharacteristically devious expression on his face as he looked at Miko. "Oh, _two_ can play at that game!"

...Ratchet's POV: That Evening...

After the celebration winded down, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee took the humans to their respective homes. The children barely ate any of the cake that Jack brought. They decided to start throwing the stuff at each other. Miko called it a 'cake war'. The sugary desert went flying everywhere.

I made all of them clean it up.

Once all was said and done, I placed Optimus's new toys off to the side so that they weren't sitting in the middle of the floor, put away the remains of my son's oil cake and cleaned up the shredded wrapping paper. While I was doing that, I saw Wheeljack leave the main control room. He probably left for his quarters.

I am currently sitting on a crate and holding Optimus close to my chassis, engine's rumbling. My son had a long day, and I could tell that he was tired. His heavy optic lids proved it. The sound of my engine will encourage him to fall into recharge. Unfortunately, outside forces didn't want Optimus to sleep.

The monitor's loud alarm went off, scaring Optimus. I comforted him quietly as I shifted him to the crook of my left arm and stood to address the message. The monitor's alarm only sounded like that when someone was sending the base a message. Optimus blinked slowly a few times and looked over at the monitor blankly. The frequency of the transmission was not one emanating from human technology. The frequency signature was obviously from powerful Cybertronian technology.

"An anonymous transmission...?" I mumbled to myself. There was no message to decrypt, only a set of coordinates. It seemed like a request for me to meet this unknown bot. I glanced down at Optimus, and his huge optics stared back. The look in his optics told me that I should see who it is. I glanced back at the green tinted screen of the monitor. The transmission notification was flashing impatiently.

I sighed and moved to place Optimus down on one of my medical berths. He stared up at me as I told him to stay put. I knew Wheeljack would come straight to the main control room if he sensed something was wrong, so my son's safety was not an issue. I turned back to the monitor and punched in the coordinates provided by this anonymous bot to the Ground Bridge controls. The transportation vortex in the wall to my right lit and roared to life, swirling in green and blue. I stood before the waiting Ground Bridge and ventilated.

I was going to go see who sent the transmission.

...

I stared in shock. I can't believe what I'm seeing. The bot standing before me was near the bottom of the list when it came to bots I expected to see. Not the bot or his cyberdog.

Soundwave silently stood there under the light of the moon with a large cyberdog standing obediently by his legs.

As soon as I saw him, I knew exactly why he contacted the base. Soundwave wanted to see his charge. But, that didn't stop me from asking what the masked 'Con wanted. What shocked me was that I didn't get a response through a recording.

"I wish to see Parvolus." Soundwave's voice was deep and clear and generally pleasing to the audio receptors. I was about to question him about who 'Parvolus' was when I remembered that Optimus mentioned being called 'Parvolus' by someone on the _Nemesis_ to me a few nights ago. They must have renamed him.

But the name the Decepticons gave him was not important as of now. What was important was whether or not Soundwave could be trusted anywhere near my son. This is Megatron's third-in-command and communications officer. He could easily pinpoint his exact location and send it to the _Nemesis_. Once he does that, he can call for an ambush and attempt to take my son from me. I glared daggers at the silent mech. I absolutely cannot allow them to take my son away from me again.

"I do not want to take your sparkling from you. I know what it feels like to lose a sparkling, and I would never put another mech through such an experience," Soundwave said. The cyberdog by his legs sat on its haunches and looked at me. There was more truth in his voice than I had heard in anyone's voice in a very long time. This mech had lost a sparkling...

Soundwave must know the silo's location, since he sent a transmission directly to the base. I can only wonder why we have not been overpowered by the Decepticons yet. The only reason that would make any logical sense would be that he didn't want Optimus to be put in harm's way. Withholding that sort of information from Megatron is essentially putting your spark on the line. Few mechs had the bravery to do something that so blatantly defied Megatron. I looked the silent mech over.

"Optimus is _not_ leaving the silo." I said firmly, before turning to leave through the Ground Bridge. I was well aware of Soundwave following me through with his cyberdog.

...

My son was ecstatic to see his silent guardian once more. Soundwave immediately went over to Optimus and picked him up from the medical berth he was sitting on and cradled him in his arms. My son was chirping and buzzing in happiness and nestled right into the armor on his guardian's chassis. The affectionate way he held Optimus so close to his frame reminded me of a sire holding his little one on a quiet, peaceful evening.

"How did you lose your sparkling?" I asked before I could stop myself. Fearing I overstepped, I shifted on my pedes as I stood in front of the other mech. He merely lifted his helm and looked at me through his mask, the light of the silo casting shadows down his black mask.

"Wingspar was murdered." My optics widened at the flat, yet pained tone in his voice. He knows even better than I do how the pain felt when his little was taken from him. I said nothing in response, knowing that something like 'I'm sorry' would be pointless. Soundwave's cyberdog silently lay down on the floor near the mech's pedes, golden optics blazing.

"I tried looking for his murderer for many vorns, but he vanished."

"...What about your sparkmate?" I wanted to get away from the topic of infanticide. It was one of the few things that unsettled me.

"She died of Cosmic Rust." I couldn't help but shake my helm. This insight gave me a small indication as to how tragic Soundwave's past was.

Suddenly Soundwave clicked sharply and the cyberdog at his pedes automatically stood.

"I would like for the little one to have the cyberdog. She can act as a guard when no bot is near to watch over him." Soundwave shifted Optimus to rest in one arm and directed the large cyberdog towards me. The cyberdog did as she was told and walked to stand next obediently to my legs. This cyberdog looked very much like a human breed of dog called the German shepherd. I gave him a surprised look.

"...Thank you, I suppose. What is her name?"

"...Halli." It was strange for a Cybertronian name, but I didn't question it. We shared the welcomed silence for a few more moments when I heard Optimus speak to Soundwave, though it was in no language I could interpret. I searched my CPU, attempting to match the strange language to the others I had downloaded into my CPU over the vorns. In a few seconds I made a match and found that it was the Decepticons' coded language.

I stayed quiet. The silent mech must have taken it upon himself to teach Optimus. From what I can tell, he has done that well. Optimus was talking delightedly in the strange language to Soundwave, and the silent mech responded in the same language.

There was an obvious bond between my son and Soundwave. I couldn't see any facial features, but I could surprisingly read his body language. He was very attached to Optimus. So attached that it made me wonder why he gave Optimus back. Soundwave is a strong mech. He could have easily protected Optimus from Starscream. But, for some reason, he gave my son back to me. I opened my mouth to ask him why when a better question came to me.

"Does Megatron know you returned him to us?" I was quickly growing more comfortable in the presence of the Decepticon.

I noticed Optimus's faceplates light up at the mention of the warlord's designation as Soundwave answered.

"Yes, he does."

I arched an optic ridge at him. "I'm surprised he didn't eviscerate you and melt you into slag."

Optimus piped in from Soundwave's slender arms. "Muh... M-Megzy be nice wen h-he wonna be."

I chuckled at my son's statement as Soundwave responded to my statement.. "I was surprised as well. He understands and accepts my reasoning behind returning the little one to you Autobots."

I glanced down at the cyberdog named Halli and back up at Soundwave. I knew the mech holding my son had a number of Deployers, but I didn't know he had a cyberdog as one. We would have seen her out in the field by now. The cyberdog certainly looked strong enough for battle.

"Sorry to get off topic, but how did you get the cyberdog?" There was a certain glint in his black mask after I asked the question. A glint that could almost be taken as humor.

"A Vehicon gave me the cyberdog after she attacked his close friend. Ravage would have none of it."

I nodded, smiling slightly. "Ah, the cat. I can understand that."

Before Soundwave could respond, both of us heard the sound of three engines drawing close to the silo. I looked at the mech holding Optimus. Saying that the others won't appreciate the Decepticon third-in-command's presence in the missile silo would be the understatement of the millennia. I jerked my helm towards the Ground Bridge.

"You had better get going." The silent mech nodded curtly and walked towards me. I took Optimus from his arms. The sound of engines grew louder as Soundwave turned his back to me. Halli narrowed her blazing gold optics and growled loudly at the approaching Autobots.

I enjoyed this short chat with the mech. Just from sharing a few words with the silent Decepticon, I learned that he is no different than any other bot who wants the best for a sparkling. I was surprised he even spoke to me instead of remaining the silent Decepticon the others have become accustomed to.

Soundwave opened his own Ground Bridge in front of him and waved goodbye. Optimus eagerly returned the gesture. In a flash, Soundwave was gone. A nanoklik later, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee pulled into the base.

I look forward to another conversation with Optimus's Decepticon guardian.

The sound of Bumblebee's frightened voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked at the three of them, holding Optimus close to my chassis. Arcee wouldn't take her optics off the cyberdog and Bulkhead clenched his fists, ready for a fight. Bumblebee's faceplates were filled with uneasiness and nervousness as he pointed at Halli, who was still growling from near my legs.

"_Ratchet, where the heck did the cyberdog come from?!"_

**There is a new addition to the Autobot family! And Ratchet has some explaining to do. Just so you know, 'Halli' is the nickname of Soundwave's deceased sparkmate, Halyard.**

**I didn't expect this chapter to get this long, but the last thing I want to do is sacrifice detail in writing.**

**Little Hawk's Art Materials company is dedicated to my reviewer, Hawky. Warperchick made the Warper's oil cake recipe. Bulkhead's energon rock candy gift to Optimus is from STARSCREAM RULEZ. The sonic keyboard goes to EndlessHope'22. Wheeljack's little car is derived from an idea keacdragon gave me. Halli the cyberdog is from Kohana Maru. Cliffjumper's gift goes to transformerstarwarsgal. Thank you guys for the ideas!**

**Eltigre221 and JC, more likely than not, Airachnid won't appear in this fic. I don't like the femme. However, Dreadwing **_**might**_** make an appearance.**

**Optimus's girl, Megatron doesn't plan on doing anything to Starscream right now. The smackdown Ratchet gave the Seeker was enough.**

**120, 483 vorns is 10,000,089 human years.**

**There's going to be a more detailed explanation on how Soundwave got the cyberdog in the next chapter.**

**As always, if you have any questions, comments or ideas, let me know in a review.**

**P.S. Ratchet made a new friend.**


	13. Family Dog

**Thank you, all of you who reviewed the last chapter. A number of you all's ideas I took into consideration for this fic. There were some really good ones.**

** Here is the 13****th**** chapter of Tiny! Yay! X)**

**I don't own the Transformers. That's Hasbro's thing. **

**Enjoy!**

...Soundwave's POV: Datapad Journal Entry #44...

I am relieved that the little one was safe, not that I didn't already know he was.

I did not expect the Autobot medic to allow me into their base in order to see the little one. I had initially predicted that the medic would bring Parvolus to me, rather than leading me to him. He must have made the correct assumption that I had found the location of their base. He told me that Parvolus was not leaving the silo before allowing me, as well as the cyberdog, in. That decision is completely understandable. The last time Parvolus was beyond the boundaries of their protected safe haven, he was taken from the medic. I regret taking him from the medic, but I do not regret the resulting stay with us Decepticons. Parvolus has truly changed a multitude of mechs among us.

My spark warms every time my processor wanders back to the fresh memory of Parvolus's little faceplates lighting up at the sight of me walking through the Ground Bridge behind the medic. I was rejoined with that missing piece of me. It was like being reunited with my own little one, Wingspar, as if he was never killed. At that moment, I was glad that I wore a mask. My faceplates would have given away the emotions that were overwhelming me.

Wingspar was the light of my life. I could not live without him. Every time I looked at him in my memory, I remembered my beloved sparkmate, Halyard. Being the guardian of Parvolus was as if Primus was granting me an opportunity to be with my little one again before I joined him in the AllSpark. I truly wish that I could have been there for my precious little sparkling. If only I had been there for him...

The monster who had brutally slain my neighbor and my sparkling was still hidden among the stars. I would rather not think about how many more bots he may have killed. It sickened me when I saw that he had murdered countless sparklings and femmes. That monster called Faultline was still online. The harm I would love to inflict upon him...

I should know better than to walk into such a sinkhole. The emotions will only consume me, hindering my progress in achieving my personal goals. Perhaps I should write of something else. Yes, that would be the best course of action for now.

The cyberdog I had given to Parvolus and the Autobots was not one of my Deployers. She was the pet of Tripwire, or Steve, as many prefer to call him. Originally, pets were not allowed in the _Nemesis_ for sanitary purposes. The rule was never enforced because of my ownership of Ravage. I would not like for someone to take him from me, so I would not do it to another bot. She acted as a messenger on board the warship, taking crucial items, normally datapads, to commanding officers, medics and technicians. Her speed and efficiency in her unofficial job rivaled that of Ravage's. She also assisted the Vehicons with their repair work around the _Nemesis_, giving them the tools and materials they need.

Tripwire was the only mech on board with a surviving pet that size, and many other Vehicons enjoyed being in the dog's presence. Unlike Ravage, she was friendly towards bots other than her master. When she was not transporting equipment and datapads, she was, more likely than not, playing with the soldiers or resting with her master, Tripwire.

Even Lord Megatron liked the dog. She was the only one Megatron was openly kind to before Parvolus. Almost always when she was sent to him or was idling nearby, our leader would toss her a treat and occasionally give her a scratch behind her ears. I can understand why he liked her so much.

He once told me many vorns ago that he had become close friends with a stray cyberdog that lived in sector D-16 of the mine that his demolition division was often working in. Many called the dog Ore. The stray cyberdog was very loyal to the workers of the mine. He told me that the dog tended to warn his team of particularly dangerous sections of the mine, and they learned to trust the cyberdog's instincts. The dog stole medical supplies from somewhere outside of the mine and gave them to the workers whenever somebot was injured with the equipment. The dog he spoke of kept the workers company throughout the solar cycle, providing some form of entertainment. He said Ore's favorite game was Tear 'n' Chase.

Lord Megatron was more attached to the cyberdog called Ore than most of his fellow workers. He said that one particular solar cycle someone had destroyed a crucial support pillar, causing the chamber around our leader to collapse. Whether this was an accident is unknown, though I personally believe that it was not on purpose. Lord Megatron was separated from his team and trapped under a tremendous amount of rubble. Because of the size of the boulders that had fallen on him, he had an extremely limited range of motion, keeping him from freeing himself. He told me that he had an idea of where he was in the mine, but the collapse of the chamber and the area around it rendered the navigational maps saved in his CPU virtually useless. He was trapped as well as injured. The falling debris had crushed his right arm and leg. Lord Megatron is a very strong mech, but he is stronger now than he was then.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been left to offline. Workers were easily replaced and it would not have been worth the effort to retrieve him. Had it not been for the cyberdog digging his way into the collapsed room and leading the rest of his team to his location, our leader may not be here today.

Tripwire's cyberdog most likely reminds Lord Megatron of the mine dwelling cyberdog named Ore. Tripwire's dog could be sometimes seen walking by Lord Megatron's side in the hallway. She did indeed seem to like him, even more so than she did other mechs.

However, I already knew that there were a few bots on the warship that she did not like. She was not fond of Starscream and Tripwire's close friend, Shank. Her dislike of Shank is part of the reason why she is with the Autobots now. I saw through my surveillance system that Shank had stepped on her tail. I cannot confirm if he did this on purpose. She had turned around and snapped at him, clamping her jaws down on his ankle. It took four Vehicons, including Tripwire, to get the cyberdog away from Shank. The Vehicon's ankle was badly mangled and he had to be assisted to the medical bay.

After this incident, Tripwire decided to give up his beloved pet. He brought her to my workstation and asked me to care for her. He couldn't have her attacking his fellow comrades. I originally planned on designating her as one of my Deployers and have her continue her duties as a messenger and assistant, but Ravage strongly objected. Ravage could not stand even being in the same room as her. More than once I had to step in before they could attempt to kill each other. I eventually decided that I would give her to the Autobots after a multitude of standoffs between my Deployer and Halli.

I could obviously see the surprise on the Autobot medic's faceplates when I stated that I wished to give the cyberdog to Parvolus. He likely assumed that the cyberdog was one of my Deployers. I transmitted to the cyberdog her orders, which was to protect Parvolus at all costs. The Autobots will do well in protecting the little one, but there will be moments were Parvolus is alone, and ultimately, vulnerable. In those moments, Halli will be there. The cyberdog is strong enough to shield Parvolus from harm.

I do not know how the other Autobots will react to a former Decepticon cyberdog in their silo, but I trust that Ratchet would prevent any bodily harm from reaching her. The fact that the medic allowed me into their silo gives me reason enough to trust the Autobot. I should return my trust since he trusted me with the privilege of entering their home. All of the others would not have permitted my presence anywhere near their sparkling leader.

After the short conversation held with the medic, I could almost say that we are acquaintances. Unlike most bots, he was not uncomfortable in my presence. It did not surprise me to hear the questions the medic had. Very few mechs know of the fate of my sparkling and my mate. I can only hope no harm comes to the medic's little one. I don't want another mech to share the pain of losing a sparkling.

...In the recent solar cycles, my dreams have been disturbing me. They are all the same. I usually stand, staring up at a comet in the night sky. As I stare at the comet, the sky turns from a rich, dark blue to gunmetal grey, and an echoic sound seems to emanate from the object streaking across the sky. For a reason I could not name, I receive a very strange sensation while I watch the comet travel across the graying sky in my dream.

My dreams normally have no meaning or significance. However, I cannot shake the feeling that the repetitive dreams are something more than inane visual creations of my subconscious mind.

~Soundwave

...Ratchet's POV: Autobot Outpost Omega One – The Next Afternoon...

"Optimus, Halli is _not_ a horse!" I yelled as I raced down the hall after the running cyberdog. Those little monsters had quickly become friends. That cyberdog simply refuses to leave Optimus alone anywhere. If someone's carrying my son, Halli follows that bot. If Optimus is sitting on the floor, she is somewhere nearby. You don't have to be the brightest to see that she is following through with what Soundwave said.

The others were surprised to hear that the cyberdog was from the silent mech, to say the very least. As I told them, I made sure to keep them from knowing that Soundwave was inside of the base. They are better off not knowing this information. They'll panic, believing Soundwave would send the Decepticon troops down on us. Contrary to what they would think, I know that the odds of a Decepticon siege are slim. I doubt Soundwave would do such a thing to a sparkling's family.

Arcee explicitly expressed that she didn't want a dog, or anything for that matter, from a Decepticon. Bumblebee was just scared of dogs in general. Once he saw that Halli wasn't going to attack anyone, Bulkhead looked like he didn't care either way. Wheeljack (he came into the main room when he heard what was going on in the main room) seemed to want the dog to stay, though he didn't vocalize it.

But the decision to keep the dog was not theirs. It was Optimus's. Seeing that I'm chasing after a dog with a sparkling sitting on her back, I would say that my son would rather have the dog around.

I don't have an issue with Halli, so long as she doesn't destroy my things. I don't have to worry about her barking, since she's a relatively quiet dog. She seems to know that I am the sparkling's father since she looks at me if she wants to carry him somewhere else in the silo, as if to ask for my permission.

When Halli stood on all fours, the top of her head came just below my hip, a considerable size for a cyberdog. The Halli's size alone would be enough to make any human with common sense exhibit nervousness and behave cautiously. However, I can only imagine how the children will react, Miko especially.

"Halli, stop right _now_!" I commanded as I rounded a corner, zooming past a confused Bumblebee, who was just leaving his room. I'm beginning to get very frustrated with that cyberdog. My son could easily fall off her back and get hurt. I can't have him getting hurt because of something silly like this. Thankfully, she heeded my words and slowed to a stop, looking back at me with golden optics. I continued closer, my optics locked on my son.

My son was hugging Halli's neck, optics glittering as he laughed and giggled. The bright smile remained on his little face when he gazed up at me. My gaze softened when I saw how much fun he was having. But that didn't stop me from scolding him.

"Optimus, what made you do that? Do you how dangerous that is? You could have hurt yourself!" I gently took him off her back and cradled him in my arms. Realizing that what he did with the cyberdog has upset me, his optics gained a sorrowful expression as he gazed up at me.

"Promise me you won't do that again." I stared down at my son, engine humming. Halli walked around me to stand next to my legs as her tail wagged gently. Her golden optics were apologetic as well. I know that Halli would not have allowed him to fall, but that fact didn't ease my concern at all. I truly was worried for his safety. Sparklings are already very fragile, and my son's abnormally small size only makes him even more fragile. I would be devastated if he was hurt.

My son's bright optics grew even brighter as he smiled up at me. "I pwomise."

I smiled lightly and stroked the side of his little helm. My spark warmed at the happy little grin I received from my sparking. "Thank you."

"Let's go play with something else." I said as I walked down the hallway, Halli following close behind.

...

Just a few doors down the hallway from my room is the Play Room. Bumblebee and I decided to set up this room so Optimus could have a designated place to safely play. The main room was a nice place for him to play, but there was too much foot traffic. There was the risk of my son getting accidentally stepped on by the other bots.

All of Optimus's playthings were in this spacious room, most of them scattered on the floor so that they could be easily accessed by my little boy. Also in the room was a low berth for his rather frequent naps. From the moment we showed him the room this morning, I knew he would greatly enjoy being in here. Right now he's wrestling with the stuffed tiger he calls 'Stripey'. Somehow the tiger managed to win, much to my son's frustration.

I smiled slightly and shook my helm at the sight of a stuffed animal winning against the Prime from the chair I was seated in near the wall. He was on his back now, laughing and chirping happily as he hugged his stuffed tiger to his chassis. Halli was hopping around him, tail wagging madly, eager to play along with my son. The cyberdog gave a small, playful bark and Optimus turned to her. I watched as he wobbly stood to his pedes, only to fall forward. I moved to catch him, but the cyberdog standing in front of him immediately rushed forward, using her muzzle to keep him from falling onto the floor. I slowly sat back down, feeling my spark warm at the sight of Halli gently steadying Optimus with her muzzle.

My son had loved all of his birthday gifts, but he simply refused to sleep without the Autobot insignia necklace around his neck. He never told me where the charm came from, but he seemed to be quite attached to it, so I let him recharge with the necklace on.

It's impossible for an object to just appear. Someone had to have put it there. But, the question was _who_ put it there. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are simply too large to create something so small for my son, and I believe the same applied for Arcee. I already know that the children lack the ability and proper materials to forge a flawless, black and silver Autobot insignia. Wheeljack is skilled with his servos, but he would have given the necklace to Optimus when he gave him the car if it were from him. I know I didn't make it. No one here made the necklace, yet the necklace still made it to Optimus's little servos...

...Perhaps I am putting too much effort into processing this information. I suppose that some things are better left beyond our understanding.

I noticed Optimus open his mouth to say something that I felt had something to do with Halli, I heard someone come running down the hall towards the Play Room. Halli automatically started to growl and crouched menacingly. My son stood up, his stuffed tiger dragging slightly on the ground, to see who it was. The cyberdog leaped in front of him, her optics flaring and her growl intensifying.

Bumblebee threw open the door to the Play Room and instantly stepped back when he saw Halli's threatening form. Knowing that the scout was afraid of cyberdogs, I told Halli to calm down. She followed the order, but still glared at him. I briefly glanced at the dog and addressed the young mech standing in front of me.

"What is it, Bumblebee?" I took note of the excited look on his faceplates. His doorwings were almost bouncing in his excitement. I wonder what has him so happy...

"_The kids are here!"_

...

I honestly don't know how Halli will react to the children, so I had her follow behind me. I'll use myself as a barrier between the humans and the large cyberdog. Because of this, I gave Optimus to Bumblebee so the scout could carry him to the main control room.

Just as we entered the room, Bumblebee in front and Halli behind me, I saw Jack walk away from Arcee, and Miko and Rafael exit Bulkhead's alternate mode. As soon as they saw Bumblebee, Optimus and I, they said their usual greetings. All was calm until Halli walked out from behind me to investigate.

All three of the children stared at Halli for a full second before reacting. Rafael's eyes grew huge as he froze at the sight of the dog. It looked as if the little human was attached to the floor. Jack immediately jumped in front of Rafael to protect him, never taking his eyes of the cyberdog. Miko's reaction was nothing of the sort.

"Oh my gosh, that is so COOL!" Miko made the very unwise decision to run right up to the massive cyberdog.

"Miko, no!" Bulkhead yelled, attempting to grab the rather foolish human child. Halli seemed more curious about the little human, but started to growl at Bulkhead's sudden movement. The Wrecker instinctively backed off, but remained tense. Arcee was on edge as well.

We all watched the cyberdog lower her head so that she was somewhat eye level with Miko. She brought her sensitive olfactory sensors down near the top of Miko's head. She jerked her head back slightly as Miko's scent reached her, making Bumblebee snicker. While Halli was investigating the little human, Miko looked around at the other bots.

"Where'd did you guys get a dog? This is so awesome! That dog is _huge_! I didn't even know Cybertron had dogs!" The Japanese girl continued to vocalize her excitement, and Jack and Rafael worked up to courage to walk up to Halli. The dog lost interest in Miko and shifted her sharp gaze over to the other two humans. She looked at them as if she had never been this close to a human.

Jack cautiously held a hand up to the cyberdog. She considered him for a moment, golden optics scanning over his small form. Then she nudged Jack's hand, encouraging him to pet her snout. Apparently she approved of him. Rafael seemed to be perfectly content with not receiving any attention from the dog.

"How did you guys get the dog?" Jack looked around at us. Before I could answer the question, Optimus chirped from Bumblebee's arms.

"Seytas guh- gave her to me!" Jack gained a confused look.

"Who's 'Seytas'?"

"That's what he likes to call Soundwave. Soundwave wanted Optimus to have the cyberdog." Arcee said, putting a servo on her hip. The confusion on the black-haired teenager turned into surprise. The expression on Rafael's face reflected Jack's.

"Soundwave? As in the faceless Decepticon third-in-command?"

I nodded. Miko suddenly moved away from the cyberdog, bringing Halli's attention back to her. The human pointed accusingly at the dog.

"That dog is a Decepticon?! How could you guys let her in here? What if she's a spy? What if she's an _assassin sent to kill Optimus_?" I could tell Arcee agreed with Miko's argument.

"She isn't an assassin. If she were, she could have easily killed Optimus already." I looked over at the yellow mech beside me. I'm going to demonstrate something to the children that Halli can be trusted around my son. "Bumblebee, put Optimus down."

The scout looked at me as if I had lost my mind. I glared at him, in no mood for hesitation. Seeing the look on my face, He lowered my sparkling to the floor. Halli immediately turned away from the humans and took a few steps towards Optimus. Miko yelled, demanding to know why I did that. I ignored her, knowing that she'll get her answer in a matter of seconds.

Optimus stood to his pedes and held up his arms towards the much larger cyberdog. Halli leaned forward, pressing her muzzle into Optimus's tiny servo. She emitted a low, rumbling sound as my son stroked her muzzle. My son couldn't stop smiling as he gave the dog attention.

"...I still don't trust that dog." Miko huffed. Halli must have understood her, since she looked away from Optimus and gave her a pointed glare.

"Hey, if Optimus thinks she's fine, then she must be fine." Bulkhead stated, gesturing towards my son. The statement was true. Had Halli been a spy, Optimus would not be so willing to be in her presence.

After the humans grew somewhat used to the size of the cyberdog, they decided to play a few new games with Optimus. I stayed in the room, relenting to the powerful urge to watch over my son. Arcee huffed and left the main control room, no doubt detesting the presence of the former Decepticon , who was in such close proximity to the children and my son. Bulkhead and Bumblebee stayed, hoping to interact with the newest Autobot addition.

Bumblebee worked up the courage to let Halli sniff his servo while she lay on her side behind Optimus. Rafael had suggested they play a schoolyard game called 'Bubblegum, Bubblegum, in the Dish'. I was surprised jack decided to participate. I smiled as I cleaned my tools, listening to all four of them laugh and giggle as they sat in the middle of the floor, almost singing the human rhyme.

Suddenly, there was a loud boom off in the distance. Halli immediately jumped up and started growling, as everyone else looked down the hall where the sound came from. The children all fell silent. Bulkhead just shook his helm. The sound startled Bumblebee, and his doorwings instantly lowered. My son wasn't scared at all, and seemed to be humored by the sound, knowing where it came from.

"Jackee bl- ble- blew himself up." You couldn't help but smile at my white and gold sparkling's matter-of-fact statement.

Wheeljack was, without a doubt, working on the 'cure' for Optimus. He kept saying that the restructure nanites needed to be stabilized, that they were the main thing causing the explosion. Once he solved the problem with those, the cure would be ready.

It has been almost six weeks since the solar cycle Optimus was turned back into a tiny sparkling. Then, he couldn't even stand on his own. Now, he can stand and even walk a few steps without falling. His little laugh was the sweetest thing I have ever heard. All of the other Autobots loved to play with him and protect him and care for him. Optimus has never gotten so much time to interact with the human children. His smiles are now a common sight.

In that six week time period, there has not been an encounter with the Decepticon army. The bond he formed with the Decepticons is truly remarkable. Had Optimus not been turned into a sparkling, I would not have seen the caring and protective side of Soundwave. Optimus may have even changed Megatron, a feat most believed was impossible and would remain so forever.

The bond he formed with me is one I thought I would never experience. I never thought that I would have a son, given this seemingly endless war. Knowing that I now have a child warms my spark. He has taught me that this war is no longer a hopeless stalemate in which both sides will destroy each other.

So much has changed, and to be honest, I doubt anyone truly wants things to go back to before.

...Starscream's POV: Aboard the _Nemesis_...

I glared at the monitor in my personal quarters, one of my wings aching where it was reattached. All of them are imbeciles. Everyone on this warship now knows of what I attempted to do. No one is obeying my commands, insolent fools. Megatron has yet to say anything to insult me. But in his silence he has made it clear just how angry he was with me. And his lapdog is no better. Soundwave is angry as well, an emotion I thought that mech was not able to feel. Dreadwing didn't even have that much interaction with the little cretin, and glares at me every time I see him Even those mindless Vehicons seem to glare at me when I walk by. That little cretin has all of them wrapped around his digit, and they are all fine with it. I however, am not.

I opened the transmission and a video feed on my personal monitor. I managed to disconnect this monitor from Soundwave's surveillance system, so he won't be able to see what I am doing here. A mech's face formed on the screen and the white noise swiftly dimmed down.

If there is anything I am not known for doing, it's giving up.

"_So, you're Commander Starscream. I must say, I thought you'd look... stronger."_ I growled under my ventilations at the snicker beneath the mech's words.

"Enough with the small talk! I gave you an assignment." My words were met with a chuckle.

"_Now, now. I don't give my service for free."_

"Do you wish your pay to be in high grade?" I ground my denta as I glared at the blurry figure staring back at me on the screen. The mech scoffed.

"_Oh please, I have plenty of that. Are there any femmes on the blue planet?"_

"There are two, one an Autobot." A look of approval and pleasure spread across the mech's faceplates.

"_Ah, good. I couldn't take a fellow Decepticon for pay."_

"How long will it take you to reach this planet?"

The shadowy mech thought for a moment, giving a long hum before answering. _"I'll be there in three joors. My ship's moving as fast as it can."_

"You know your terms. Just-"

"_I know, I know. I've done this more than you would think. "_ A frustrated tone leaked into his chuckle.

"What is your designation, mech? I would rather have a name to address you by." My servo hovered over the switch to end the transmission feed as I waited for an answer. A smile spread across his faceplates and a very unsettling laugh met my audio receptors.

"_The name's Faultline. At your service." _

**Why, Starscream? **_**Why?!**_

**Here are a few notes to help you understand some Cybertronian terms I used that you may not know. A joor is a Cybertronic measure of time. Basically their hour. One joor equals six Earth hours. Tear 'n' Chase is the Cybertronian version of hide and seek.**

**I hope this chapter answered some of you all's questions about Wheeljack's progress. I noticed a few of you ask about that in your reviews.**

**Corona Pax, one vorn equals 83 human years. I just got as close as I could get to ten million and still get a whole number of vorns. And that ended up being 120,483 vorns. That's a long time...**

**As always, if you have any ideas, comments or questions, just let me know.**

**Until next time! :)**

**P.S. Halli is a _very_ protective dog. **


	14. Stranger

**I did not expect the rather phonic responses to Faultline's return from you all in the last chapter's reviews. Because of all the urgent requests, I decided to pick up the pace in the production of the latest chapter of this fanfiction story.**

**This starts in Raf's POV and goes from there. I don't own Transformers, sadly.**

**Hope you like it!**

The dog was really scary at first. She was so big and her teeth were frightening. But when I saw Optimus petting her, I started to think that she wasn't so bad for a former Decepticon. She's like a normal dog, only made out of metal and really big.

Ratchet left the room after a while. I guess he thought that Optimus would be okay if he left him with Halli and the rest of us. The cyberdog laid on her side the whole time, watching us play with Optimus. Eventually, Bee nervously walked up to her and let her sniff his hand. She didn't seem too interested in Bee, but was friendly with him. Halli was friendly with everyone, as long as you didn't appear to be a threat to Optimus. She's like an enormous bodyguard.

"Raf? C-C-Can you pass muh... me the red pai-paint?" I looked over at Optimus, who looked back at me with bright optics. We were sitting on the floor in front of a huge sheet of thick butcher block paper Bee found somewhere in the silo. Optimus had opened up his new finger paint set and really wanted to paint something, but I couldn't tell what it was. I picked up the little plastic container of red paint and passed it to him.

"Here you go." I smiled as he took it from my hand. His fingers were already covered in green paint. He got a little on my hand, but I didn't mind. Optimus said thank you and opened the paint container. He dipped his index and middle finger into the paint and started to make a long stroke along the paper.

"Hey, what are you painting?" Miko smiled, leaning over and asking Optimus. Bee, Bulkhead, and Jack looked like they were thinking the same thing. The smile on Optimus's face broadened and he kept his eyes on his artwork, drawing another stroke on the paper as he answered.

"It's a se- se- secret."

Bulkhead laughed at the childish response, and I could see the smile in Bee's optics. Jack was smiling too as he asked Optimus if he could tell us the secret. Optimus shook his head.

"No." All of us laughed at his reply. My sisters did that to me a lot, but they always showed me when they felt like it. Bulkhead said he was going to go get some energon and Bee followed him out, saying he'll be back sometime later. Halli watched them go, still lying on her side. Her head rested on her front paws as we watched Optimus focus on painting his picture. Before long, I figured out what he was painting.

...

"Hey Doc Bot! Optimus wants to see you!" I heard Miko yell from down the hallway. She had ran off to go find him after Optimus finished. Soon I heard a pair of heavy footsteps making their way towards us. Halli lifted her head from her paws, looked down the hall and made her tail lazily thump against the floor. I think she knows that it's Ratchet coming down the hall. Jack stood and helped Optimus stay on his feet by holding his hand. Optimus was really excited; you could see it all over his face. Once Ratchet came into the main control room with Miko running beside him, Optimus started chirping and buzzing happily.

"Look! Look it!" Optimus let go of Jack's hand and held up his painting. Jack helped him with it, since the paper was taller than he was when he held it up. To be honest, I think every kid has done this for their parent at some point.

It was a painting of Ratchet holding Optimus's hand, both of them smiling. The rest of the Autobots were also smiling as they stood in the background. Next to Optimus was Jack Miko and I. Jack was painted in blue, Miko in green and me in yellow.

A warm smile lit up Ratchet's face as he crouched and picked Optimus up, along with the painting Optimus held. Ratchet took the painting from Optimus's little hand and held the little guy in a way that Optimus was facing him.

"That's very good! Who did you make it for?" Optimus chirped as he eagerly pointed at Ratchet.

"Aw, that's so _cute_! The little guy made Daddy a picture!" Miko laughed.

I was expecting Ratchet to glare at her for saying that, but all he did was hold Optimus, giving him a gentle hug. I won't forget the love and parental affection I saw when Ratchet held Optimus. Jack and I exchanged a look and smiled at each other. What Miko said was true.

Optimus really does love his dad.

...Optimus's POV: Late the Next Night...

It was a peaceful moment at the Autobot base. I had been fed earlier and I could still feel the pleasant warmth of the energon in my full fuel tank. As of now, I was wrapped snugly in a blanket Rafael had given me earlier today, on my berth in Ratchet's room with Stripey. Ratchet was sleeping on his own berth on his side, facing me. I could hear his engine humming in the darkened room and took great comfort in the sound, hoping that it will assist me in going back to sleep.

The children were all sleeping in the main control room. They had asked for permission to stay at the base for what they called a 'sleepover'. I assume that Ratchet saw no problem with them staying at the base for a few days, since he did not hesitate for very long before allowing them to. Bumblebee was ecstatic to hear that they had been allowed to stay at the base and Bulkhead has already planned for what music they could listen to. While the others made plans, Arcee made sure that Ms. Darby knew that the humans were staying here for the weekend. I was looking forward to what the children had planned for us.

Curled around me on the low berth that my father, Ratchet, had given to me was the cyberdog. She had opened her bright, intense golden optics when I awoke from my recharge. She lifted her head slightly from resting on her paws and her optics glinted as she looked at me, as if to ask why I was awake. Feeling that I had no reason why I should not answer her, I told her that I did not know why I had come out of recharge at this late hour in a hushed tone, careful to not wake my father.

It was strange. I normally slept through the night.

I reached out and stroked her muzzle, pulling Stripey close and feeling her soft fur on my faceplates. Instead of encouraging more stroking, as I had come to expect from Halli, she lifted her head completely, away from my little servo, ears perked and alert. She sharply turned her head and stared intently at the door. I followed her optics and saw nothing unusual in my father's darkened berthroom. The air around me started to vibrate and I swiftly realized that Halli was growling. I looked around at Halli's seemingly unwarranted display of aggression. I had yet to figure out what she was growling at, and it was beginning to frighten me.

Instinctively I pulled the blanket over Stripey and partially covered my faceplates, only leaving my optics visible. Halli slowly stood over me, her growl low but intense. The hackle plating on her back rose as she stared at the door. Without warning, she lowered her head and took the blanket I was wrapped in between her sharp denta, lifting me as well as Stripey.

Her growling never ceased as she easily opened the door and left down the brightly lit hallway. Her loping gait caused me to swing slightly from side to side. I was on my back wrapped in the blanket, holding Stripey close to me, staring up at the large cyberdog, who was intent upon taking me somewhere in the silo. I could not tell where, nor could I ask her. A part of me believed that she would not respond.

Never, in my years of being on Earth, did silence bother me. Normally I welcomed silence, for I did not experience it often. However, tonight the silence was incredibly unnerving. The child within me did not like this silence and the warrior within me agreed. It was exceedingly quiet.

Halli found a storage room that was small compared to her frame and managed to push the door open with her head. She swiftly padded inside and placed me and Stripey softly down at the back wall of the storage room. She turned around and pulled the door shut with her jaws. Halli walked back over to me and lay down, curling around me as a mother cyberdog would around her young. She was in such a position that allowed her to keep a close optic on the door and me simultaneously. She still had yet to give any indication on what drove her to move me from my father's room without him knowing.

We lay there for a few minutes, my helm resting against her warm side. Her growling had stopped, though I could still see the glare in her optics. Even though her legs were drawn close to her frame, she covered the vast majority of the limited amount of floor space in the room. This room was even darker than Ratchet's room, the only light coming from underneath the door in front of Halli. Even then, I could not see most of that light since the cyberdog was lying between my little frame and the door.

She seemed to sense that something was wrong, though I could not tell what. The undersized room we are now in, I realized, is farther away from the main control room. Ratchet's berthroom was close to the main room since it served as our medical bay. He wished to be close should there be a medical emergency that needed to be addressed while he was in his room. Why Halli would move away me away from the main control room was beyond my comprehension. I automatically began to chew on my digits as the nervousness of the child within crept out of the dark corners of my processor.

Halli lay on her side in the dark room, yet appeared to be fully prepared to swiftly stand and move me again to another room. I shivered, despite the warmth of the blanket and the large cyberdog. Sensing my fear, she tenderly pressed her warm snout into my abdomen and moved to lick my faceplates. I stayed still, knowing that the action was her method of comforting me. The child within me felt slightly more at ease with the large cyberdog working to placate me.

I was still wrapped in the blanket, hugging my stuffed tiger when I heard something coming from outside of the small room. Halli instantly grew very still. Normally, when she heard what she believed were suspicious sounds, she started to snarl, but this was not the case. She did not move a strut as the sound came again. It sounded like a shriek in pain coming from the main control room. It was Rafael.

I could only wonder what happened in the main control room. Halli I know would not take me to the room she was avoiding. I continued to chew fearfully on my digits as I vaguely saw Halli's lips pull back into a silent snarl in the darkness. She stared at the door as a different sound came. This could easily be identified as the footsteps of a bot. The sound of footsteps is not unknown to me, but for a reason I could not name, the sound caused my gears to lock. The fear paralyzed me as the footsteps drew closer to the storage room. Halli's optics filled with rage as the sound came near, but she remained in control of herself.

In a matter of seconds I could see two shadows being cast from outside of the door. By the way they moved in sync with each other, I could tell that these shadows belonged to a pair of pedes. They stopped in front of the door and I ceased my ventilations, so that I would not be heard through the door. Halli tensed, baring all of her glistening teeth.

Suddenly, the harsh white light of the hallway filled the room and Halli stood over me, snarling viciously. Her frame still blocked my view of the door, and I could not get a visual of the bot standing in the doorway. Halli crouched and leaped towards the bot, jaws open and claws ready, intent upon inflicting bodily harm. The sight of the cyberdog protecting me eased my tension. I hope that she can apprehend the intruder and warn the others about this strange bot in our base. She was strong enough to defend herself well; I am confident that she will prevail.

"Disgusting creature."

A loud yelp escape Halli as I saw some sort of heavy, blunt weapon come down hard on the top of her head. I whimpered when she immediately fell to the floor, frame limp. I crawled over to her and attempted to shake her awake, to no avail. My optics filled with tears when I saw the thin stream of energon leaking from her ears and the energon flowing from the wound on her head. I fought to keep my processor from jumping to conclusions about her well-being. I gave in, allowing the child within me to vocally express how upset I was to see my cyberdog friend so badly injured.

Crying and shaking, I laid my helm against her warm side. Before I could hear her sparkbeat, I was roughly grabbed and lifted into the air. I grew even more distressed when I dropped my beloved stuffed tiger. I saw her land next Halli's limp frame and the pede of the bot that took me away from my hurt friend.

I wished to know who this bot was, though I was very fearful to turn and look. To my surprise I was able to momentarily overcome this feeling and glanced behind me. I was not expecting to see this expression on the mech's faceplates.

There was a small smile on his faceplates as he looked back at me. I could almost see a sort of relief in his faceplate, as well as happiness. However, there was no such expression in his optics. I could see a cold intent, one worse than any expression I have seen in Megatron's optics, even in the battlefield. The combination of the happiness and cruel intent gave him a frightening and psychotic air.

The mech turned and walked down the hall with me in his grip, away from my bleeding friend. "You weren't much trouble to get to at all. The smallest one of those fleshy creatures tried to warn someone, but I dealt with him by putting his hearing out. Now come along, we don't have much time."

I could only wonder who this mech was. I had never seen him before. This mech had no reason to have anything personally against me. Perhaps someone else has something against me. Megatron knows me as Parvolus and has nothing against me. Megatron would go through the trouble of hiring a mech to do the work for him, not that I believe that he would go to such lengths when he is capable of doing it himself. I am sure that Soundwave would never harm me, directly or indirectly. During my stay with the Decepticons, I received too much love and attention from the Vehicons to lead me to believe that one of them wished me dead. There was only one bot in this galaxy that had acted upon his malice against me during my time as a sparkling.

The only conclusion I could reach was that Starscream was connected to my capture.

Once we reached the main control room, I saw the children. Jack and Miko were still in their sleeping bags, though Rafael was unconscious on the floor, sleeping bag entangled around his legs. Even in the darkened room I could see that the smallest human was bleeding from the ears. I am very reluctant to think of the damage the mech may have caused on the young human's delicate eardrums.

I felt myself being lifted higher so that I was optic level with the strange mech. My legs automatically drew closer to my trembling frame and I was forced to stare into the mech's optics as I hung like a kitten by the scruff of its neck. The mech's red optics flashed eerily as he smiled at me. "Such delicate things, aren't they? The fleshy ones. Like you. _Delicate_... like you."

The tone in his voice scared me more than anything has in my long lifetime. Bots had reason to fear mechs like Shockwave and Megatron. Shockwave's experiments performed on others of his own kind with blatant disregard of Cybertronian rights and morals made the mad scientist a source of nightmares among both Decepticons and Autobots alike. Megatron's generally unrestrained ferocity in battle and towards everyone around him assisted in giving him a frightening reputation. Both of their cruelty was legendary. However, something was not right with this mech, and the natural fear of strangers and the unknown took full hold of me. I grabbed at the blanket still wrapped around my legs and tightly shuttered my optics, childishly wishing for the strange mech to go away.

Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of weapons onlining. The child within me was terrified to allow me to open my optics to see what was happening around me as an intensely familiar voice reached my audio receptors.

"What do you think you're doing?" It was Arcee. I took comfort in the dangerous tone in her voice as opened my optics ever so slightly. She had come down a different hallway and now had her weapons aimed at the strange mech who was holding me. The heated glow from her weapons dimly illuminated the main control room, casting large, shapeless shadows.

The mech holding me did not move to defend himself, and he did not tense. He stood there with deadly armaments aimed at his spark chamber and laughed.

...Arcee's POV: Main Control Room...

I glared at the intruder as he laughed. I couldn't tell if he was laughing at me or something else, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that there was a terrified sparkling in his servo.

"You must be the Autobot femme! I must commend you. The vast majority of bots never hear me coming." The shadowy mech smiled at me as he held Optimus in a way I know was uncomfortable for the baby. I have never seen a more terrified look from anyone, let alone Optimus.

How in the Pit did this slagger get into the base? The Autobot Outpost Omega One's location is shielded; not even the _Nemesis_ can find us. The base had an alarm that would have woken everyone up if an intruder so much as dropped a flake of paint. Even if he did get past the alarm system without setting it off, I don't get how he's still standing. That dog and Ratchet should have torn him to shreds by now. Unless something happened to them...

I mentally forced myself to look at the task at hand. There's a stranger in the base and he has Optimus. I cleared my mind and boosted the power to my weapons system. I have to take care of this mech quickly before he becomes a bigger problem than he already is. One quick shot to the spark should do it...

"What are _you_ doing? Shooting me wouldn't be a smart idea, yes? You risk killing the delicate one."

The intruder then strategically shifted Optimus so that the sparkling dangled right in front of him, in the line of fire of my guns. A mocking smirk spread across the mech's darkness-shrouded faceplates as he moved the baby. Something inside of me cracked when I saw the tears streaming down Optimus's little face and dripping to the floor. My resolve to eliminate this mech faltered at the sight of the baby's frightened optics.

The mech was right. I can't risk it. I _can't_ risk hitting the baby.

"What do you want with him?" I demanded, keeping my guard up. I can't let him see how I feel. With the baby, he has quite a bit of leverage in this situation, and I know he knows it.

The mech's red optics grew brighter and he made no effort to hide the fact that he was looking me up and down. "Curious question."

"There is nothing unusual about the question!" I snapped, growing impatient with the smiling mech. I unconsciously took a step towards him from where I stood across the room, weapons still ready to fire. The mech casually reached up, and I saw plates of armor shift and retract to reveal the servo grip of a gun. I crouched slightly lower, waiting for him to attempt to attack me. He reached back, grabbed the servo grip and slid the blaster out. It was large for a hand blaster and looked like nothing I have ever seen before. There were yellow, lighted seams on the gun. A white pulse traveled down each seam and ended at the end of the blaster's barrel, repeating itself every two or three seconds. The gun looked strange to me, but I knew those white pulses. There was a lot of firepower in that gun.

To my complete and utter shock, he pointed the handblaster at Optimus. The casual smile never left his lips as the gun automatically cocked and powered up.

"Lively, aren't we?" The weapon pointing at Optimus's little helm told the unspoken threat. I immediately took a small step back. If distance is what he wanted, fine. Moving three feet closer is not worth the baby's life.

"You wouldn't dare." That earned another infuriating chuckle. I growled under my ventilations as the mech's bright red optics narrowed into slits as he laughed at me.

"Don't think I won't. I've done this many times before, you know." Battle strategies that were currently racing through my processor grinded to a halt. This mech has taken and murdered a sparkling _before_?! Before I could even get past the shock, the mech spoke again.

"Now, I didn't come here to play dare games." Optimus whimpered as the gun hovered close to his audio receptor. I could feel his optics burning into me as we maintained optic contact. "Come with me and he lives. Simple as that."

"And why would I trust you?"

"I never said anything about trust. But you want him to live to see the sun rise again, yes?" I glanced at Optimus, who had shut his optics out of fear. He was right. Of course I wanted him to live.

Over and over Optimus Prime has shown that he will sacrifice himself to protect the rest of us Autobots as a grown mech. Taking hits for us in the heat of battle and risking his spark to save ours. Maybe now was my time to do the same for him.

I offlined my weapons system and lowered my arms. The intruder holding the baby grinned and lowered his handblaster, but didn't put it away. I glared at him as he beaconed for me to come closer. I walked towards him, making sure to stay out of arm's reach. The only reason why I'm doing this is because I want Optimus to stay safe. There's no way to warn the others now. If I try, I am sure that he'll kill Optimus. I can't do anything that could put a sparkling's life at risk and I'd hate to do this to Ratchet and the others, but there is no other way.

I glanced briefly over at the kids. They must be unconscious in their sleeping bags; they would have woken up if they heard us talking. I decided that I was glad they aren't awake. They would be in much more danger if they were conscious.

I hardened myself and stared at the mech with soft red optics as I got closer. Right now I'm giving myself up to him for the baby's sake. I prayed to Primus to protect Optimus, forgetting to do the same for myself. If this mech is fine with putting a gun to a baby's head, I can only imagine what this mech is going to do to me later.

The mech smiled down at me as I stood there next to him with my servos balled into tight fists, and gestured with the gun towards the Ground Bridge. "Come now. We don't have time to dally."

...Bumblebee's POV: The Next Morning...

The day hasn't really started yet, and it's on the list of one of the worst, most chaotic days of my life.

I woke up and went down to the main control room to wake the kids up earlier when I saw them unconscious on the floor. I managed to wake all three of them up, but I knew something was wrong with Raf. He didn't respond to me when I talked to him. Raf always responded to me when I told him something. When I spoke to him directly he just stared up at me with a confused look on his face. Then it hit me.

He couldn't hear what I was saying. That was also when I noticed the dried blood coming out of his ears and going down the sides of his head. I didn't know what happened to cause that, but I transformed and quickly took him to Ms. Darby. Thank Primus she was at the hospital.

I wish I could have stayed to find out what was wrong with Raf, but I had the feeling that a lot more was wrong back at the base. So, I raced back here, only to realize that I hadn't seen Arcee. She was one of the first bots up all the time. I should have seen her in the halls by now.

Before I got the chance to go look for her, I heard a scream that chilled me down to the protoform. It was the scariest thing I have ever heard. I raced towards the sound and saw Ratchet outside his room. He was upset, to say the very least. I had never seen him in such a panic before. It just wasn't something he did, no matter what happened. It wasn't like him to panic. I tried asking him what's wrong, but the only response I got was a wild glance and a mumble that sounded like 'he's gone'.

I tried to get him to calm down and talk to me, but he kept panicking, completely ignoring me. I'll have to tie him down to really get a chance to talk to him. I wasn't getting anywhere with Ratchet so I decided to go investigate further, you know, to find out what happened. Now I wish I hadn't.

Halli was obviously hit over the head with something really heavy. Seeing how bad the wound was, I know that had I been hit with whatever it was she got hit with, I would have offlined. The metal plating on top of her head had split, revealing the fuel lines and energon underneath. I could almost see a big crack in her cranial chamber underneath the mess of broken fuel lines and metal plating and energon. There was energon all over the floor, and the cyberdog seemed to not be able to move anything except her golden optics. It's amazing she can even do that.

She just looked at me as I approached her. I know that injured animals tend to snap at anyone and everyone, so I had to be careful. Thankfully, the only thing she did was lay there and stare at me in the light of the hallway. Her blazing golden optics never lost their burning intensity, even with the bad head wound.

I know she has something to with this whole mess, though I don't know what. And I can't ask her. She's a cyberdog. As far as I know, cyberdogs can't talk in any language we can understand.

Kneeling beside Halli, I carefully slipped my servos underneath her and lifted her as best I could without hurting her further. Halli was pretty heavy, but I managed. As I picked her up, I noticed Optimus's stuffed tiger on the floor. I got a really bad feeling when I saw it but I decided that I'll have to come back for it later.

Halli didn't make a sound the whole way to the medbay, which I thought was kinda weird since I know she's in pain.

Ratchet taught me some time ago how to perform medical procedures that were beyond the basics for battlefield wounds, saying that there needed to be more than one 'Bot who knew how to treat wounds beyond dressing them. I guess now's the time to put those lessons to use.

Whoever this was left us with a lot of chaos. Ratchet is hysterical, Raf can't hear what I'm saying, Jack and Miko are scared because of Ratchet's panicking, Halli is badly hurt. I came into the main control room with Halli and saw Wheeljack and Bulkhead with uncharacteristically nervous looks on their faces, trying to calm Ratchet down (they must have guided him here) and failing. They have no clue what happened. I have an idea of what went on, but right now I've got to pull myself together and help Halli.

No one in this base would do something this horrible to an innocent animal. Someone had to have been in here, and I'm scared to wonder who.

...Soundwave's POV: Datapad Journal Entry #45...

I normally don't leave the interior of the _Nemesis_ unless I am given a very valid reason. Yet, I stood there alone atop the _Nemesis_, watching the night sky.

Over the vorns, I have learned to trust my instincts. I awoke from my recharge with something telling me to look at the night sky. I had absolutely no reason to do that, but I would not have received the sensation if it were not meant to seize my attention.

It was very late. I only saw one Vehicon walking in the halls as I made my way towards the landing strip on top of the warship. The old mech, Rudder, did not ask me why I was awake at that joor. The mech knew that I had my reasons and likely decided not to question it. His permanently damaged optics flickered as the old medic gave me a small greeting nod and kept walking in the opposite direction I was going.

Then I stand there, with this datapad journal, wondering why I was struck with the urge to come there. I couldn't help but think that this was somehow connected to the repetitive dreams I have been having in the recent solar cycles. It would not be wise to automatically believe that there was a connection. That assumption may corrupt my perception of the true reason why when it is revealed. I suppose that time will reveal the answer.

There have been no problems from Starscream, interestingly. I have detected nothing to be concerned about in his daily activities. Perhaps he learned from his mistake. The flight to forgiveness is a long one for him, and I doubt that the crew of the Nemesis will allow the Seeker to forget. Even those such as Dreadwing, who did not have much contact with the little one, were upset when they heard that their commanding officer attempted to commit infanticide.

It did not matter that the little one was an Autobot. The little one was the first sparkling in many vorns. The fact that that somebot tried to rid us, Autobots and Decepticons alike, of that hope for selfish reasons was abysmal. I am confident that both factions stand on the same side in this decision.

...I was torn from my thoughts when I saw an intriguing sight in the site sky. It was the comet from my dream. Once I looked closer, I saw that it wasn't a comet at all; it was a vessel coming through the Earth's atmosphere. The vessel was like none I had ever seen; I could tell this even from this incredibly long distance. My keen optics saw that the vessel was much smaller than the _Nemesis_, yet had very powerful thrusters, creating a long, white tail following behind in the sky. The design was very unique, perhaps custom-built.

Despite the unfamiliarity of the vessel's build, I could still determine that this was a Decepticon ship. It's interesting that had not received a signal from this vessel, in spite of its alarmingly close proximity to this planet. Had I not been up here, I may not have discovered it. I doubt anyone else saw this ship.

It is very hard for things like that to slip past me undetected. The owner of this vessel must be very skilled in concealment indeed. The power in the thrusters forced me to consider the power of the engine of the incoming vessel. Generally, larger ships have more power in the central engine. This vessel must be larger than the average, single bot ship.

I am back in my berthroom now, many questions coming to mind in regards to the strange vessel that is landing on this planet. I was indeed curious about many things concerning the comet that I now know is a ship. How large is the ship? Why had I seen this ship in my dream? What was its significance?

One question, however, remained above all of the others.

Who is the owner of this strange vessel?

~Soundwave

...Dreadwing's POV: Aboard the _Nemesis_...

I never thought that I'd see another sparkling again. Yet, when I was going to give a report to Soundwave regarding the major energon mines weeks ago, I saw Soundwave sitting in a chair, feeding the sparkling in his workstation. I was dumbstruck when I saw the child refueling in his arms. I did not think this war would allow anyone to bring forth such a precious miracle of life.

Once I drew closer, I saw that the sparkling was strangely familiar. Soundwave answered the question I was about to ask. It was indeed Optimus Prime. The silent mech never said how the Autobot leader had turned back into a sparkling, and I decided not to press for answers. I doubted he knew.

The sparkling that Lord Megatron had renamed Parvolus appeared to retain none of Optimus Prime's memories and did not hesitate to be in the presence of us Decepticons. He seemed especially attached to Soundwave; I saw him with the silent mech quite often. The troops adored him, playing with the child frequently in the Recreation Room. I wasn't surprised when I saw Parvolus in Knockout's medbay, carrying on a conversation with Breakdown while his vane comrade looked on. I even saw Lord Megatron carrying the sparkling into his office one solar cycle. The little child must like to nap in his personal quarters. I was surprised our leader allowed it.

I can remember Skyquake saying that, after the war, he wanted to settle down and sire a sparkling of his own. He always loved sparklings, something no one beyond me would be able to detect, given his seemingly cold nature. When the war began, his want for his own family intensified. He would have loved to see Parvolus.

After seeing the little child, I started to imagine life, if that were to come, after the war. I am beginning to share my twin's dream of having my own family. Just like many mechs and femmes, I am tired of fighting this war. Imagining seems to be the only way out.

Towards the end of Parvolus's stay with us, I heard that Starscream attempted to kill the little child. I was initially outraged that a fellow Seeker would even think about committing such a horrible act. After I gave this more thought, I saw that this was not as shocking as I originally believed.

Starscream could not afford to have anyone compromise anything that was his own. He must have seen the little child as a threat to his position. The Seeker was known for going to great lengths to get and keep what he wanted. Evidently this included infanticide.

I still felt the anger, however. I cannot help but express my resentment towards our second-in-command for attempting to destroy the new life. Nothing can or will excuse what he made an effort to do. Thankfully, justice was served.

I heard through rumors among the troops that Starscream had been brutally beaten by the Autobot named Ratchet. Lord Megatron had been told what happened and essentially took Starscream to tell the Autobots what he tried to do to Parvolus. The Autobot medic must have a strong bond with the little child. The other Autobots present did not react with violence.

Soundwave made the understandable decision to take the little child back to the Autobots. Starscream would not have stopped until he got what he wanted. I would have done the same.

Just a few hours ago, I heard Starscream speaking to someone in his personal quarters while I was walking to Knockout's medical bay to deliver a report datapad. I'm not one to eavesdrop, but I could not help but listen to the irritated tone in his voice. I doubted that he was speaking with his trinemates; he didn't speak to them in that tone. My audio receptors could not quite pick up what he was saying through the door, and I naturally grew suspicious. I could vaguely hear a voice I didn't recognize say 'Yes, yes, I have both of them.' A small alarm went off in my processor when I heard this.

I left before I was caught outside of his room. I knew that something was not right, though I didn't know what. I am higher than sneaking around like a lowly turbofox to gather information, but for now, I will have to put that aside. In order to see what Starscream has undoubtedly planned, I will have to keep an optic on our second-in-command.

**...And chaos is left in the strange mech's wake.**

**Just so you know, Soundwave saw the ship before the incident at the Autobot base and Dreadwing heard Starscream talking in his quarters at the same time Bee returned to the base after dropping Raf off at the hospital. The ship Soundwave saw is Faultline's.**

**I credit the scene where Halli attempts to hide Optimus to Optimus's girl. Thank you! :)**

**Autobot-Chromia, I saw that you cut off your review for the 13****th**** chapter when you talked about Halli. I'm curious as to what you had to say about her. **

**Optimus's girl, eltigre221, EndlessHope'22, hannahtranter16, and RagdolDark, and I'm sure a lot of other people who expressed rage towards Starscream in the last chapter... interestingly enough, I have nothing against Starscream outside of this fic. He's actually one of my favorite 'Cons. But for this story, I'm writing by his rather single-minded nature.**

**PrimeEmily135... Man, I'm **_**so**_** sorry for upsetting you to the point of tears! :(**

**Well, if you have any ideas, questions or comments, just drop a review. **

**Until next time!**


	15. Blanket

**This particular chapter is rated T. Just to be safe. A number of people brought that issue to my attention. **

**This starts in Bee's POV. I don't own the Transformers. They are owned by themselves. And Hasbro. **

**Enjoy, chapter fifteen of Tiny!**

We managed to calm Ratchet down enough to get him to talk to us, though he still looked like he was on the verge of tears. Everyone tried to act like they weren't scared for Ratchet's sake, but I knew that every last one of us was terrified, including myself. Ratchet rarely got scared. And when he was scared, he hid it underneath his annoyance. I know the situation is bad when Ratchet didn't even try to cover up his fear.

I stood over Halli, who I had laid down on a medical berth, with a small frame welder in my servo. Her head injury looked a lot worse than it really was. She's going to heal. That crack in her helm was a long one, but it was really thin and wasn't deep at all. A crack in the cranial chamber is always something to be concerned about, but the one she has should heal on its own with no problems.

Thank Primus I was able to get the energon under control. Halli was bleeding pretty bad when I started working on her. I'm putting a temporary patch on her head now, so the wound won't open again. I didn't get a peep out of her, not even while I'm here welding the patch on. I guess she knows that I'm trying to help her.

I glanced down at the injured cyberdog lying on the medical berth in front of me and she looked back. Her bright, molten gold optics seemed to burn through me as she looked into my own. There was a sense of sorrow in her optics, the kind you see in the eyes of those attending a funeral for a loved family member. It was like she was apologizing for something with her optics, though I couldn't really tell what for.

"What happened?" Jack asked from behind me. Jack and Miko stood behind me, opposite of where Bulkhead and Wheeljack had gotten Ratchet to sit down. I looked over my shoulder at them. Thank Primus Jack knows to not panic in this sort of situation. I know he has already noticed that Raf is gone, but he hasn't said anything yet. We're going to get to that a little later.

"I don't really know." Bulkhead answered for us. None of us really knew. I only wish I had a clue or a tiny hint or... or something!

Halli wheezed and whimpered slightly, pulling my attention back to her. She started moving around, like she was trying to get up. I don't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn't make it off the berth and onto her paws. I rested a servo on her side and started to stroke her. The plating on her side was very warm to the touch, and I could feel her ventilation system and cooling fans working overtime.

I managed to persuade her to lay still through my petting, thank Primus. Everyone looked at me as I stroked her. They all know I'm scared of dogs, but for some reason I'm not scared of her. At least, not anymore. I found out really fast that she's a really lovable animal. It's sad that such a sweet dog like her had to go through what she went through.

"There had to have been someone in here. There's no other way to explain Halli's injury and Arcee and Optimus's disappearance," Jack said. Bulkhead glared and balled his servo into a tight fist.

"Decepticons! I'm scrap all of them!" Before I could respond to Bulkhead, I saw a flash of emotion in Ratchet's optics. It was a flash I had never seen in him before. He stood from the crate he was sitting on, walked silently around us and over to the Ground Bridge controls. Somehow, the only ones who really noticed him move was Halli and I.

"Whoa, Bulkhead! We can't just jump to conclusions!" Jack held up his hands, trying to calm Bulk down. He succeeded, but only a little. While the conversation continued, I noticed Ratchet start working on the monitor, staring hard up at it.

"Kid, there is no way some human could hurt the dog like that," Wheeljack said, crossing his arms over his chassis, getting irritated himself. He was right about that. If a human had got into the base intending to hurt Optimus, Halli would not have gotten hurt. The only one who would have gotten hurt would be the intruder.

I spoke up before things got any worse between us. _"Everyone, calm down. We don't know who was in here, but we already know they're a threat. It's not easy getting into this base. Whoever this bot was had to have been really motivated to get through our defenses and do it without setting off the base security system. If they're able to get into our base and hurt Halli that bad, we have to assume that they have a way to hurt us. But instead of picking us all off, they only took Optimus and Arcee. We've got to find out why."_

Everyone, aside from Ratchet, was paying close attention to what I had to say. Even Jack and Miko understood the serious tone in my voice and listened to me. Bulkhead moved in to translate for me, since Raf wasn't here to do it.

"I can't believe he let this happen..." I looked over at Ratchet when I heard him mumble. Who is 'he'? The green tinted monitor was flashed with a picture of the _Nemesis_ and its current coordinates. I froze for a nanoklik before quickly moving towards Ratchet. I know exactly what he's about to do and I have to stop him before he does it.

"I _will_ get them back, even if I die doing it." Before I could even reach the upset mech, he set the Ground Bridge and turned it on.

"_Ratchet, no!"_ My shout was ignored as he raced through the Ground Bridge. Miko started to panic, asking why Ratchet suddenly ran off. Jack was too shocked to say anything. Bulkhead transformed and zoomed through the open Ground Bridge after Ratchet. Before doing the same, I turned and looked back at Wheeljack and the kids.

"_You guys stay here! Wheeljack, don't come after us. We need somebot stay here and take care of Halli and the kids."_

"The nanoklik I think something real bad is going down, I'm dragging all three of you back here." I thanked Primus that Wheeljack didn't argue as I leaped forward and transformed, tires spinning before I even hit the ground. Hopefully Wheeljack will actually listen to me. But I know I can count on Jack to keep Miko from getting into trouble.

My alt mode fishtailed as I accelerated, tires screeching. Miko and Jack stood clear as I raced through the open Ground Bridge. I hope that I'll be able to get all of us back to the base alive.

...Soundwave's POV: Aboard the _Nemesis_...

This is extremely unexpected.

I stood beside Dreadwing, a short distance behind Lord Megatron as the troopers brought forwards three restrained Autobots. I saw these Autobots infiltrate the _Nemesis_ not long ago through my surveillance system. I did not need to send out an alert, not that I wanted to in the first place. The Autobot medic was with them, Parvolus's family. The medic seemed to be extremely upset about something - something I sensed that I would discover soon. I didn't know Ratchet well, but it was not of his nature to make such a rash decision.

He and the other Autobots were quickly caught and detained, with few Vehicon casualties. Close to a dozen Vehicons filed into the command room of the warship, aiming their weapons at the Autobots. They were roughly shoved forward, forcing them down on their knees.

What possessed these Autobots to make such a brazen decision? They know that they are heavily outnumbered; to ambush the warship would be suicide. They have far too many reasons to remain alive, the most important being the little one in their care. From the expressions on the faceplates of two of them, I can assume that they know this.

"WHERE IS HE?!" The Autobot medic roared, startling the two Vehicons stationed directly behind him. One of them recovered quickly and shoved the barrel of his blaster into the back of the irate medic's neck. Coming to his senses, he quieted down and glared daggers into our leader.

"You Autobots have grown rather foolish and reckless," Lord Megatron said, eyeing the angry medic in stasis cuffs. I scanned the medic's CPU and was alarmed by the high levels of stress I detected. This mech is more upset than I initially thought. What is stressing him to the verge of crashing his CPU?

"We know you have the kid, Megatron," The one called Bulkhead growled, glaring at our leader. The scout was silent the entire time, keeping a close optic on our leader. Ratchet was glaring at me, as if I had done him wrong. I ignored his stare and paid closer attention to the situation at hand.

"We do not have the child, Autobot," Dreadwing stated, stepping forward. The three Autobots turned to look at him, all of them, aside from the medic, bearing disbelieving and surprised expressions on their faceplates. Dreadwing does not lie; we do not have the little one. The fact that they accused us of taking the little one from his family unnerved me to the point of physical discomfort. Something is very wrong.

Lord Megatron stared at the Autobots for a long moment before ordering all of Vehicons out. The command came as a surprise to the Vehicons, but they quickly departed. I saw that they didn't understand why they were ordered to leave the enemy with their leader and two of their head officers, but, like most wise Decepticons, didn't question Lord Megatron's authority.

Now alone, Lord Megatron stood there for a moment, fusion cannon slowly growing brighter. Through my CPU scans I could sense that he was carefully considering something.

"You accuse us of taking the child, when we have no record of the location of your base." I mentally sighed at our leader's words. I am still the only one on the _Nemesis_ that knows of the location of the Autobot base.

But, more importantly, there is a terrible discrepancy here. It is obvious that the Autobots don't have the sparkling; they would not be here if the little one was still at their base. We Decepticons do not have the sparkling, yet these Autobots were accusing us of taking him. I can only come to the logical conclusion that...

"_Someone came into our base and took Arcee and Optimus. The others thought you all were behind it."_ The scout spoke up for the first time, interrupting my line of thought. I was almost surprised when I heard the serious tone in the young scout's voice. It was the serious tone of a leader.

I noticed Dreadwing's optics widen slightly at the scout's words as he stood beside me. I sensed that he wanted to say something, but must be waiting for a moment he feels is the appropriate time to express it. I silently moved to our leader's left side, in front of the still restrained Autobots. Dreadwing did the same, and stood at our leader's right side.

Lord Megatron glared at the strangely calm youngling. "I highly doubt the cyberdog would allow such a thing to happen." Our leader was not bothered by my giving the cyberdog to the Autobots when I informed him. He was fond of the dog, but didn't mind the prospect of her serving as the little one's bodyguard.

"Halli – the cyberdog – was hit over the head by the intruder and badly wounded," Ratchet said, standing up to his pedes, along with Bulkhead and Bumblebee. I saw from the corners of my optics, behind my mask, a flicker of shock and extreme anger in Lord Megatron's optics. His fusion cannon powered up and began to glow a heated white. His reaction told me that he believed what the medic said.

Dreadwing decided this would be the best time to speak. "I noticed something strange about Commander Starscream's recent behavior, and have been keeping an optic on him."

Lord Megatron turned halfway to look at the blue and gold Seeker standing beside him. I'm sure that the mention of grey Seeker's name made him an immediate suspect. Starscream is usually a suspect when something serious is amiss, given his treacherous nature.

"What has Starscream been doing, Dreadwing?" Lord Megatron demanded.

"That I am not sure of. Although, I did hear him speaking to someone on the monitor in his personal quarters."

Lord Megatron turned his helm enough to pierce me with a glance from a single fiery optic. "Soundwave, tap into your security system and check to history of Starscream's monitor."

I did not need to be told. I scanned through my system, only to find that I couldn't detect Starscream's monitor. He must have somehow disabled my surveillance system. The only way to see the history would be to enter Starscream's private quarters and log onto his monitor.

I played a recording, stating that I couldn't detect his monitor at all in my surveillance system. Lord Megatron growled at my answer. Because Starscream's monitor did not register on my surveillance system, the Seeker is certainly a suspect. However, I know for a fact that Starscream has not left the _Nemesis_ in four solar cycles. There is no way that the mech could have gotten past all of my cameras, taken Parvolus and the Autobot femme, and badly harmed the cyberdog.

"The sparkling is in danger. The only way to ensure his safety is if we work together, with the Autobots," Dreadwing said carefully, looking at our leader. The proposal was bold, but not unexpected, considering I was thinking of it the moment he spoke it. I did not expect Lord Megatron's response to it, however.

"I suppose you are right, Dreadwing. We will make a temporary arrangement to work together, _only_ for the sake of the sparkling," Lord Megatron said, speaking to the Seeker, but giving the Autobots a hard look.

Bulkhead started to protest and Ratchet gained a deathly stare at the proposal, but both of them were convinced by the scout to agree to work with us, reminding them that the occasion was only temporary. The scout said that Parvolus's safety was most important here. He then looked directly at Lord Megatron and said that he and his fellow Autobots would not attempt to attack us if we relieved them of their stasis cuffs. They could work more efficiently if their servos weren't bound.

Lord Megatron knew that they knew he would just snuff their sparks with his fusion cannon if they tried to inflict bodily harm, so he gruffly ordered Dreadwing to release them. The atmosphere grew momentarily tense as the Autobots were released from their restrains, Lord Megatron being the only bot who did not seem to detect it.

"_Starsceam disconnected his monitor from your surveillance system. Maybe we should get into his quarters and log onto it that way,"_ The scout said after a brief silence. Dreadwing nodded, agreeing with the youngling.

"Whether the monitor is connected to Commander Soundwave's surveillance system or not, each monitor is set to record any and all activity history, including transmissions."

Ratchet spoke up this time, drawing everbot's attention to him. "Should there be any recorded transmissions, I can trace where they came from."

"The last thing we need is for Screamer to find out we're onto him. He'll be gone in a flash if he figures it out." Bulkhead was correct; Starscream would flee if he knew that we investigating. When Starscream truly does not wish to be found, he will not be found.

Dreadwing furrowed his optic ridges in thought before speaking. "That is not an issue. Commander Starscream is out on a mission with the troops, scouting for energon. If we are act quickly, our investigation will go unnoticed by him."

"Given the situation, time_ isn't_ on our side. We have to move with haste." Lord Megatron emphasized, growing impatient. He was never one to take long in planning his next course of action.

As Lord Megatron spoke, I noticed that there was natural distrust in the optics of the Autobots, but that was to be expected. We may be working toegether, but we are still Decepticons and they are still Autobots. There will always be friction between us.

I stood by, watching the conversation and planning between temporary allies. I am willing to do whatever I can to assist the medic in getting his little one back. I lost my little one to a monster, and I wish to prevent the possibility of that happening to another mech. Never, in a million vorns, did I think this solar cycle would come. For one single purpose, Autobots and Decepticons are able to put their differences aside and work together. I am amazed at how smoothly this planning is going as well.

Every bot in this room is attached to this sparkling, including Lord Megatron, as much as he would hate to admit it. The little one is like a little brother to him, and he does not like the concept of the little one being harmed in anyway. Dreadwing did not have much contact with the sparkling while he was here, but he is just as willing as me to help find Parvolus. It would be ridiculous to question whether or not Ratchet, Bulkhead and Bumblebee want to find the little one. They are Parvolus's closest family, after all.

A microscopic part of me wished for Starscream to flee. He will have to face the wrath of an entire angry family if he is the one behind the little one's disappearance.

As I was following Lord Megatron's order given to me moments ago to leave the room, enter Starscream's quarters and download his monitor's activity onto a datapad, I thought of how sad it is that it took the life an innocent sparkling to be threatened for this moment of unity to occur.

...Arcee's POV...

I swore to myself that I would die in battle before I sat in a prison cell again after Cliff and I were caught by Starscream's forces.

After the mech, the baby and I left the base through the Ground Bridge (I still can't figure out how he accessed it), the mech took us to his ship. It had to have been custom built; I'd never seen anything like it. It was too dark for me to see any significant details of the ship or the area around it, but I knew it was big for a personally owned spacecraft. From what I could see, it was big enough for five bots to live comfortably in it.

The hatch opened and he motioned for me to go inside. I hated to take my optics off him, but I had to. I walked in with him following behind, still holding Optimus. The inside of the ship was well lit and had a more modern style to it, with smooth, hexagonal hallways. I could see lights on in other rooms as we passed by the doors. The hallway was relatively wide and there the occasional chair that was bolted to the floor against the wall. We passed by a multitude of art datapads fixed to the walls, some of them I thought were pretty good. This place would almost seem nice if I weren't in this situation.

The mech had me stop in front of a door after we rounded a corner. Taking this opportunity to get him out of my blind spot, I stood to the side, making sure I could see him and the door. I avoided looking at Optimus, who was still in the mech's hand. I doubt I could handle seeing the look on his little face.

"Now, I'd like for you to wait in here." The mech smiled at me as he pressed a few buttons on an access pad attached to the wall next the door. The door slid open silently and I immediately stepped inside, wishing to get as far as possible from the mech. If I can't kill him, I will stay as far away from him as I can.

The room inside was lit with a soft white light, reflecting slightly off the dull silver shine of the walls. I could see a desk on the left side of the room with a padded berth next to it. There were art datapads fixed to the walls and Cybertronian glyphs were etched into the walls and ceiling. I looked closer at the ceiling, at the glyphs circling around the light fixture. I could only read a few of the glyphs (they were ancient), but I could tell that they told the story of the battle of Primus and Unicron.

There was handcrafted, dark grey furniture along the other wall, opposite of the berth. The chairs were positioned around a small table. In the middle of the little table was a very pretty, Bright orange crystal, carved into a marching zap pony. By that table were several shelves full of datapads of all kinds.

I didn't know what to expect, but this was not it.

"Don't run off, now. I wouldn't want to be upset with you." The mech started to move outside of the room before he stopped and gave me that maddening grin again.

"By the way, my name is Faultline. I'm sure you're in no mood to talk with me, so we'll have proper introductions later." I wrapped my arms around myself as he left.

I stood in the center of the room and glared at the shut door in front of me. Just before we left the base, I tried to contact Ratchet, but only got a massive amount of pain in my CPU. I realized it too late that he was using something to scramble the signal. Whatever he used was set at the right frequency to cause pain.

My mind wondered as I gazed around my 'room'. This place was no better than a prison cell. I wished I had died in battle before this happened again, but the universe had something else in mind. Now here I am, online, imprisoned and miserable.

...Ten Minutes Later...

I stared at a sort of air vent in the wall, opposite of the berth I was sitting on. There was a faint sound that kept coming from it... I cautiously walked closer to the vent as the sound came again. I didn't have to listen for much longer for me to realize what it was.

Sobbing.

Seeing that the air vent was higher up the wall than I was tall, I grabbed one of the chairs and quickly hauled the heavy thing over to the vent. I pressed it against the wall and made sure that the piece of furniture was stable before I stood up on it. Now up on the chair, I peered through the silver grill of the air vent, only to see darkness. I could hardly see anything, but the sobbing was even louder. Maybe it's from the next room.

My spark constricted when I heard the little sob again. Before I could stop myself, I called into the vent. "Hello?"

The sobbing instantly died down and I waited for some sort of response. When I didn't hear anything else, I called again, louder this time. The delayed response was low and sounded far away.

"Arshee?" I couldn't help but give a tiny gasp as I recognized who it was. I pressed my faceplates and servos closer to the air vent grill and strained my optics, hoping to see into the next room, though I knew I couldn't.

"Everything's going to be okay, Optimus," I reassured the little baby I couldn't see. My spark broke when I heard him begin to cry again through the echo of the air vent. Through his sobs, he muttered.

"Arshee, I'm scared."

I fought back my own tears and tried my hardest to keep my voice level. I know he's scared, but the only thing I can do right now is reassure him. "It's going to be okay. I'm here – big sister's here."

Optimus had to be alone in there; the only thing I could hear was his distressed sobs. His fearful voice met my audio receptors again, only it was barely a whimper.

"...I-I-I wanna go home, Arshee."

I swallowed, feeling a tear stream down my faceplates. I wanted to go home too, and I couldn't get us there. I couldn't do _anything._ "We'll be home soon, Optimus. I promise."

I hated the doubt I felt in my broken spark as I made him that vow.

...Optimus's POV...

I was cold and alone.

The mech separated me from Arcee, locking her in a room. The child within me screamed to be with her, though my voice box would only allow a whimper. He carried me to the next door to the right of Arcee's 'room' and opened the door. He stood in the doorway for a moment before tossing me inside the dark, cold room. My frame painfully impacted the hard floor, my arm pinned underneath me. Without a word, I heard him shut the door, leaving me in the dim room.

I grabbed at the blanket that was tangled around my legs and hugged it for what little comfort it could give me. The room I was in was very dark and cold. It was much different from the comforting warmth of my home. I cannot remember another time when I was more frightened. I did not like being alone in this strange place.

However, I soon realized that the biting cold and the darkness was a secondary source of my distress. I wrapped the blanket as best I could around my undersized frame as I fearfully gazed around my prison cell. The sight I saw will haunt me till the day I die.

The twisted remains of bots were scattered all other the room. A row of a multitude of cracked spark chambers lined the walls like lanterns and armor of varying colors was lined along the walls as if they were shingles on a human's house. Digits, legs, pedes and servos sat piled in the back of the room, all neatly organized and separated. I saw severed helms with the mouths open suspended from the ceiling, dead optics wide open and frozen in an eternal stare. Sets of Seeker wings adorned the back wall, all of them of varying size and colors. Each set of Seeker wings were held together with a severed, clawed servo. One of the servos still leaked energon onto the floor.

Despite the horror and fear beginning to smother me, I still looked around in the terrible room. As I gazed at my sickening surroundings, I noticed something that was relatively close to my quivering form. I looked closer to see that it was another bot, one larger than me. They were lying against the wall, sitting in an upright position.

Eager to meet this new bot and glad to know that I was not alone in this death room, I reached over and tapped the bot on the shoulder. This bot was a sparkling like me, as I could tell from the underdeveloped wings on the bot's back. He had deteriorating, light orange paint on his chassis and dull, dark grey plating on his legs. The bot did not respond to my attempt to gain his attention. I tapped the bot again, and instantly regretted doing so.

The sparkling stiffly fell over when I tapped him, gears corroded and locked together from having been dead for a long time.

At this point I could no longer fight against the child within me. My arm still aching from when I landed on it, I pushed myself away from the ominous corpse and started to cry.

I cried for my release from this place, I cried for Arcee's wellbeing, I cried for my family at home. I was utterly helpless and sobbing was the only thing I could do. I wanted my father and my silent guardian to take me away from here. I pretended that my blanket was Halli's warm plating, and tried to fill the silence by imagining her playful yaps and barks. I did not want to sit here in the dark amongst the countless dismembered corpses. I pulled my blanket over my helm and buried my little faceplates into it, sniveling and whimpering. I ceased all attempts to hide my fear and sorrow and my sobs grew louder.

"Hello?"

I heard a voice rend the cold silence of my ghastly prison filled with silenced victims. Not knowing exactly where it came from, I responded, lifting my helm from under my blanket and speaking in a voice so small and timid I hardly recognized myself. I believe I recognize the voice, though I was not completely certain.

"Everything's going to be okay, Optimus."

I was glad to hear Arcee's comforting voice in this otherwise upsetting place, though not enough comfort came over me to calm me down. I was scared, I told Arcee. She only continued to reassure me. Reassurance that did not completely reach me.

How could I be comforted by someone who is not here under the severed helms with me? Who does not see the cracked spark chambers and severed limbs with remnants of energon where they would have been attached to a frame? She cannot see into the dead optics of this sparkling lying on the floor next to me. I am utterly cold and alone.

Arcee promised that we will be home soon. Glancing very briefly at the dead sparkling, I decided that I could only hope, for I knew time is short.

**Faultline seems to be a real sadist.**

**Soundwave's POV, Arcee's POV, and Optimus's POV occur simultaneously. **

**Someone made fan art for this fic! It was done by WingedWolfAlari, and it is AMAZING. It's a picture of our favorite cyberdog, Halli, protecting little Optimus. There's a link to it on my profile page. I want to thank you, WingedWolfAlari, for exploiting your wonderful artistic skills in making that piece of fan art for me.**

**This chapter is to WingedWolfAlari, who gave me the idea of the basic structure. Thank you for helping me through this one. I was really starting to get stuck.**

**Doc bot and Optimus's girl, later on there will be a Dreadwing and Soundwave team up. :)**

**Shohanny, Faultline is the psychotic murderer who killed Soundwave's sparkling and neighbor when the silent mech lived in Tagan Heights as a factory worker and single father after the death of his sparkmate before the Great War. I'm glad you like my stories! :)**

**ForgotMyName2Day, hold your horses! I don't plan on doing anything M-rated in this story.**

**KayleeChiara, Arcee tried, but an EM pulse device disrupted the signal transmission and temporarily disrupted her CPU circuitry. Ratchet heard nothing at the time of the kidnapping.**

**If you have any comments, questions, or ideas, just drop a review. **

**Until next time!**

**P.S. Bumblebee has assumed temporary leadership of the Autobots.**


	16. Hide and Seek

**And here we go... The newest chapter of Tiny! I want to thank all of you for the support as I continue to write this! :D**

**This starts in Steve's (Tripwire's) POV. Rated T again. Just to be safe. I own a Transformers Prime Dreadwing figure, but I don't own them. Hasbro does.**

**Hope you like it!**

Shank and I looked at each other, in total shock after what we both just heard. The sparkling was missing and no one knew where he was!

We both were pressed against the doors of the command room, trying to listen in on the conversation going on inside. It was shocking to hear that the sparkling was missing, but I don't know if the fact that Lord Megatron just agreed to a truce with the Autobots is even more shocking.

"Steve, that's probably why he ordered you guys to get out the room!" Shank whispered to me. I was among the many troopers that helped take down the Autobots and bring them to the main command room. The medic was pretty upset about something (and Shank and I just found out why) and he started shouting really loud, scaring the scrap out of me. I shoved the barrel of my blaster into the back of his neck to get him to quiet down, and it worked.

Nobody expected for Lord Megatron to order us all out of the room, but nobody questioned it. After we left out, most of us went to station themselves near escape routes in the _Nemesis_, should the Autobots try and escape. The only ones who were right by the command room door were Shank and I. We originally stationed ourselves outside of this door, but we couldn't help but eavesdrop. And what we heard astonished us.

I nodded, agreeing with him. We both tuned our audio receptors and boosted the power to them, trying to hear the whole conversation going on in there. Unfortunately, the door was almost completely sound proof. The only thing we could really hear was a bunch of muffled voices. The only way we were able to piece together the fact that Parvolus was gone was by asking and telling each other what little we heard.

I also heard them mention something I couldn't hear about my old dog. I think heard them call her 'Halli'. I wonder how she's doing with the Autobots...

"Do you think Starscream did it?" Shank asked me. I thought for a moment before whispering my answer to him.

"I don't think he did it _himself_, since he rarely does the dirty work. I think he had somebot do it for him." Shank nodded and looked like he was about to say something else when he suddenly froze. Knowing exactly why he did that, I jumped away from the door and onlined my weapons system, cocking my left blaster, facing away from the door. Shank did the same and we both took on the appearance of armed guards outside the room. Just then, the door to the command room opened and Soundwave silently walked out. Both Shank and I straightened and tried to stare straight ahead as Soundwave walked past me. We stayed that way until he rounded a corner and walked a little ways down that hallway.

After that close call, I told Shank that we couldn't be caught outside that door. He agreed and we swiftly walked down the hallway. We'd be in a scrap load of trouble if we got caught by Megatron out there.

"We've got to tell the others-," I stopped him, cutting Shank off before he could finish.

"No, this isn't something for everybody to know." If we just went around telling everybody that Parvolus is missing, and from all indications, in danger, we probably are going to make it even harder to catch who actually took the sparkling. A whole lot of people love the sparkling, and to find out that he's missing would cause a lot of problems. One of them would be the very real possibility of an angry lynch mob hunting the Seeker down if they think he has to do with this.

"Shank, we have to keep this on the DL."

"Well, we have to tell somebody. I mean, maybe we can help out." Before I shot his idea down (most of them got us in trouble), I thought about it for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe we could help. And if there's anything we Vehicons have learned while fighting for Megatron, it's that there's strength in numbers.

I heard that they plan on investigating the activities of Commander Starscream. He's out with Volk and some others scouting for energon, but that won't buy them too much time. Starscream's scouting missions are always relatively short, since he's an Energon Seeker. Not only are Seekers great flyers, they are great at finding things that are usually well hidden. It doesn't help that he was the Air Commander of the Energon Seekers. Saying that guy is good at what he does would be an understatement.

"Okay, we could tell one other person. The fewer bots who know about this, the better," I said, looking at my friend as we walked down the hallway. "But, who can we tell?"

My friend's visor dimmed slightly as he thought for a moment. "What about Rudder?"

I nodded, and immediately lowered my voice when we walked past two workers busy repairing circuitry in the walls. "Yeah, we can go find him. He can help us figure out how to help."

...

"I suspected that Seeker would try to harm the little suckling again after his first failed attempt," Rudder said thoughtfully as he sat in his worn chair. We had found the old medic sitting in the Rec Room, talking to some of the other soldiers about something having to do with treating blaster wounds. I could tell by the dim flash in his yellow visor that he knew something was wrong. He had quickly wrapped up his conversation and directed us to his room. I'm glad he knew to speak in private.

"How can we help with finding the sparkling?" Shank eagerly asked after we told him about everything we had just discovered. The old medic thought for a long moment before giving us an answer.

"It is not our place to assist in their search." I just stared at him in shock. How could he say that? For all we know, the sparkling could be in real danger!

"_What?!_ How can we just sit here and do _nothing?_" Shank demanded, voice rising. I could only stand there, completely dumbstruck by his simple answer.

I thought that of all of us Vehicons who love the sparkling, he would want to help us do whatever we could to help get the sparkling back the most. Rudder loved sparklings; I heard that he had a few of his own at some point. He did treat Parvolus like he was one of his own. I didn't expect him to say that we would be out of line if we assisted in the search for the sparkling.

"Lower your voice, young mech," The old mech said firmly, yet gently. As Shank reluctantly did so, Rudder spoke again. His voice was quiet, as it usually was, but this time his tone was very steady.

"This is a personal matter for those especially close to the suckling. Emotions, without a shadow of a doubt, are running high. To step in and get even more people involved can threaten to set the situation ablaze, something none of us want." The old mech shifted in his chair as we stood in front of him.

"...If we can't directly help them, how _can_ we help?" I asked Rudder, worried. I know that there has to be some other way the three of us can help. I don't want to just sit and do nothing.

"Yeah, we don't have much time before Starscream comes back to the warship. If he finds out they are onto him, who knows how hard it's going to get to find the sparking," Shank pointed out from beside me. Suddenly, an idea struck me.

"Maybe we can delay Starscream long enough to let them investigate. I figured that the first place they'd go to see what Commander Starscream's been plotting is his personal quarters." I could see the smile in Shank's optics as we looked at each other. He agreed with me.

Now, our mission is to distract Starscream for however long is needed to make sure he doesn't find out that he's under investigation.

Shank turned and left out the door and I moved to do the same when I looked back at the old mech still sitting quietly in his worn out chair. His discolored yellow optics flickered, as they tend to do when he's focusing in something since they're damaged, as he looked back at me.

"Thanks, Rudder. Couldn't have done it without you." I could tell from the look in his optics that he appreciated my thanking him.

"Tread lightly, son. You rarely see exactly how volatile a situation can be until you have already lit the fuse. " I nodded once, taking note of the old mech's wise words.

Just as I joined my friend outside and as the door was closing I heard Rudder quietly say, "I will be here for you, whenever you need guidance."

At that moment, I was really glad the old medic was around. Rudder's always been there to point you in the right direction, rather than just order you around, like our superiors do.

Then, I received a notice through my comm link from Volk that he was returning to the Nemesis along with Starscream and the others in half a breem. These little reports are an advantage of being a Vehicon officer. But getting back to the task at hand, I didn't know what Lord Megatron and the Autobots plan on doing to see what Starscream's been doing, but I did know it's going to take longer than half a breem.

Plus, one of the first things Starscream does when he comes back from a long mission down on Earth's surface is go to his personal quarters to clean up. He can't stand dirt; he'll complain all day if he isn't able to get to his washracks as fast as he would have liked.

We can't let Starscream walk into his personal quarters, not while someone's in there snooping around.

Shank and I swiftly left down the hallway, towards one of the many air hatches that Starscream, Volk and the other Vehicons were arriving in.

All the two of us need to do is delay him until we think Lord Megatron and the others have gotten what they need from Starscream's personal quarters. Hopefully, our Commander doesn't get suspicious of Shank and me.

...Bumblebee's POV...

It felt so strange to work with same mech that helped destroy Cybertron.

But what was even weirder was the fact that I felt no hate towards the warlord. I still didn't trust him; he's still a Decepticon. The Decepticon warlord at that. But, something told me that he was safe to be around, or as safe as he can be. Something else told me to trust that feeling, so I did.

Maybe I didn't feel anything because we both had a common goal: to get the little guy back.

We were all standing in the presence of one another, in silence. I don't mind it, since we're waiting on Soundwave to come back with that datapad of monitor activity history. Bulkhead didn't seem to want to be here at all. He stood there near Ratchet, glaring at Dreadwing and Megatron, looking ready to online his weapons at any moment. I can understand how he feels. Being in the middle of enemy territory isn't exactly the best experience in the universe.

Ratchet was pacing back and forth, holding the wrench kept in his medical pack in his servos. If that wrench were alive, he would have wrung the live out of it by now; he was holding it so tight. He was so worried that he probably didn't care who helped us out.

Thankfully he had calmed down enough to think straight. He clearly wasn't doing that when he opened the Ground Bridge and zoomed into the warship, something I'm not too happy about. But then again, if he hadn't done that, we probably wouldn't have gotten the Decepticons' help.

"Scout." My doorwings hitched as I was pulled out of my thoughts by the mech who called me. Piercing red optics stared back down at me.

"This is indeed interesting, scout," Megatron said as he looked at me. I stared at him for a moment before answering.

"_I guess it is."_ I'm kind of surprised that my voice didn't shake when I spoke to him.

"Tell me... how do you plan on dealing with the offender once he is detained?"

"_I'll think about that once we get Optimus back."_ The mech who was twice my height continued to stare down at me. From what I just heard, he ensured that the bot who took Optimus and Arcee _will_ be caught. I never thought that the warlord would reassure anyone, directly or not. Or maybe he's not reassuring me, just comparing plans. He's probably already plotted what he's going to do to the bot responsible for this. I could sort of tell by that creepy little grin on his face, which I paid no attention to before I answered him. He responded to my statement after gazing at me for a nanoklik.

"Ah, yes. I suppose the safety of the sparkling comes first." I nodded, agreeing with him.

Why did he ask me what we planned on doing after all this was over? He should really be asking Ratchet that, since he is the little guy's dad.

Suddenly a question came to mind, and it slipped out before I could stop it. Everyone turned and looked at the two of us.

"_Why are you helping us?"_ The warlord narrowed his optics at the question, like he didn't like the fact that I asked him, but didn't move. I never thought a room could get so quiet.

"For the sake of a new life." Megatron's answer caught me, as well as Bulkhead off guard, but that didn't stop me from responding.

"_Yeah, but this new life is your arch enemy."_ Megatron balled his servos into fists when I reminded him of Optimus as an adult. Bulkhead's weapons system onlined at the sight, but I held up a servo, silently telling him to stand down. I never took my optics off the warlord, but, in my peripheral vision, I saw Bulkhead slowly lower his mace and change it back into his servo.

Megatron saw my gesture towards Bulkhead and his reaction, and raised an optic ridge. He said nothing about it as he responded to me. "I am aware of that, though it is not completely true."

"_But, what makes you want to work together exactly? I thought you'd you take the first chance you had to kill him after all the fighting you've done with him."_

Dreadwing and Ratchet stood next to each other, watching Megatron and me talk, helms going back and forth between the two of us like they were watching a tennis match. Megatron's optics grew brighter in hidden anger. He thinks I'm accusing him of something.

"I am not so low as to kill an innocent sparkling," Megatron growled dangerously. "Besides, the Prime that I despise does not exist any longer."

I didn't show it, but I was surprised to realize that Megatron doesn't know that Optimus still remains in the body of a sparkling. I briefly wondered that if he knew Optimus was still there, would this situation be any different.

"I may have fought with that mech many times, but if anyone lays a servo on him with the intent to harm, they will be facing _me_."

I looked at him in shock. I saw a very small, approving smile on Ratchet's faceplates. Megatron's promise just shattered all doubt of how this would have gone if he knew Optimus Prime was still in the body of the sparkling. Right now, it didn't matter. I could see that Megatron was attached to the little guy.

After thinking about what Megatron just said, I remembered that I heard someone say that before. This was back on Cybertron, after a pretty bad battle with the 'Cons. I made it out okay, but some bots weren't so lucky. Sunstreaker had said that once in Ratchet's med bay while he was being treated after taking a pretty hard hit to the cranial chamber for his twin brother, Sideswipe. The 'Con who tried to land the blow on Sideswipe was killed by Sunstreaker on the spot. I stood in the background while Ratchet angrily demanded to know why he let himself suffer a serious blow like that. Sunstreaker never said why, but everyone knew why. He was protecting his brother.

I think the same thing is happening between the little sparkling and Megatron.

Megatron wants to protect his little brother.

After making that connection, I decided that Megatron truly did have the little guy's best interest in mind.

…Soundwave's POV: Ten Minutes Later…

I walked down the hallway carrying the datapad back to the command room. I had just left Starscream's personal quarters after downloading his monitor's activity history and audio-video transmissions into this datapad, as well as my CPU. I needed a hardcopy of the information I gathered for Lord Megatron to use. I would not be of immediate access at every moment of the solar cycle, and I could not afford to upload this information to the Nemesis's database. Starscream has the access code for it. Plus, if Starscream is able to hack and disable a sector of my security system without my finding out, I must assume that he would be able to find the database access code if I set a new one for the system.

Due to the importance of the data I downloaded, I cannot wait for Lord Megatron to review it. I will analyze the data so I can quickly determine the best options in regards our next course of action. While I walked, I searched through every byte of information, aside from the recorded transmission, I had received from the Seeker's personal monitor.

To say that I was not pleased at what I found would be putting it _very_ nicely.

As I drew closer to the command center, I noticed two Vehicons speaking to Starscream further down the hallway, the direction I was going. I recognized the Vehicons as Steve and his friend, Shank. Starscream appeared to be irritated, but I quickly saw why. The Seeker was nearly covered in black soot.

As I continued to walk silently towards the three of them, I have to make an effort to keep my pace even. I was almost surprised at my own automatic reaction to the sight of the Seeker.

Never before had I felt such a fierce and tempting desire to _kill_.

It reminded me of my gladiatorial days in the pits of Kaon. It reminded me of the solar cycle I found my little Wingspar dead in my own home so long ago.

I moved further to the right side of the hall as I walked past Starscream and the two Vehicons. All three of them fell silent as I walked by. I took note of Starscream's wings lowering. I suppose he can sense my anger. It was not surprising. I was this angry once before, and an old friend of mine named Chisel commented after the incident that the dark aura of my silent wrath alone is a force to be reckoned with.

Thankfully, I have gathered the wisdom over the vorns to know not to act upon immediate emotions, especially anger. It would make me a monster.

Starscream's wings lowered out of fear, but not because of knowledge beyond this very moment. I wish for it to remain that way.

Once I walked by them, the two Vehicons quickly retreated down another hallway, as if they had been waiting for me walk by. I can only wonder why they behaved this way.

Behind me I heard Starscream mutter something so low that even my sensitive audio receptors could not pick up and walk down the hallway, towards his personal quarters. He will not know that his monitor's history had been tapped into, and I left the sector of my surveillance system Starscream disabled down. This way, he will continue to believe that he is 'under the radar', as I heard Tripwire once say.

...

"Soundwave, what have you found?" I gave Lord Megatron the datapad after his question, and stood to the side as he scrolled through the information that I have downloaded onto it. I had walked into the command room to see the scout and our leader conversing with the others watching.

Perhaps I should not call the youngling a mere scout. It is obvious to me that he is now the leader of the Autobots.

"Is there anything we can use on that datapad?" Bulkhead asked. _Indeed there was,_ I thought.

"Soundwave would have notified Lord Megatron of it if there wasn't, Autobot," Dreadwing said, glancing at the green mech.

"This Autobot has a name, you know," Bulkhead growled, taking a threatening step towards the blue Seeker. Just as Dreadwing reached towards his cannon, the yellow youngling looked at the green mech.

"_Calm down, Bulkhead. We won't get anywhere if we're busy fighting with each other."_

Megatron glared over the datapad at the blue Seeker. "You would be wise to listen to the youngling as well, Dreadwing."

Both Bulkhead and Dreadwing had the same surprised expression on their faceplates. They were not expecting the youngling and our leader to agree with one another. I, however, did. And from the expression on Ratchet's faceplates, I can accurately estimate that he expected this, just as I had.

"The most useful information in this datapad is this recorded transmission feed. Soundwave, play the transmission so the others may see it," Lord Megatron ordered. I nodded once and stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention to me. I pulled up the transmission and displayed it on my visor.

Starscream could be heard talking to the unknown mech on the screen. The mech's voice signature was not logged into the _Nemesis's_ database and his profile was too shadowy for me to produce any significant details regarding his frame. This strange mech is completely unknown to us.

"Starscream paid someone to do it for him. Why am I not surprised?" Ratchet muttered sarcastically while we watched and listened to the video transmission. I have to agree with the medic's statement. Starscream prefers to have someone else do the work for him, so that the bot directly responsible must deal with the immediate consequences for him.

Lord Megatron considered what the unknown mech said before commenting on what he heard. "This mech is one of the strange ones, taking a femme instead of high grade for pay."

"Wait a minute, the guy said that he couldn't take a fellow Decepticon for pay," Bulkhead said. "That tells us the guy is a Decepticon."

"_It's a good start, but there are _a lot_ of Decepticons out there. We need something more specific than that,"_ Bumblebee said. The room grew quiet once more as they continued to watch and listen.

_"I'll be there in three joors. My ship's moving as fast as it can."_

This bit of information proved that the mech was already on this planet. But that is not what made this stand out to me. This mech's ship must be the strange vessel I saw the night I was on the landing strip of the warship. It was also the comet that I saw in my dreams. Perhaps I can track the ship's trajectory and estimate the general area for the vessel's landing site.

"_I know, I know. I've done this more than you would think. "_

A very unnerving feeling came over me as I continued to display the transmission to the others. As the transmission recording continued to play, I would soon find out why I suddenly felt sick.

"_The name's Faultline. At your service."_

Almost all of the strength in my knees departed. I had to fight just to remain standing. When I surveyed the information I found, I did not look at the transmission, wishing to review it with the others. My frame started to tremble ever so slightly. _That mech_...

"Soundwave, are you alright?" Ratchet asked. I didn't respond. Too many things were happening in my processor at once. I looked at my little sparkling, Wingspar, sitting in his chair next to me, smiling as he attempted to refuel himself. I saw my sparkmate holding him close as she sat on the berth Halyard and I shared. I heard Halyard and my neighbor, Clearout, laughing about the time Wingspar had flown up to the top of the energon cabinet and refused to come down. I looked into Halyard's blue optics as I held her close to me on our berth.

I saw the smoking holes in Wingspar's helm.

"Soundwave," Lord Megatron said. The sight of my little one, _dead_... And the mech who is responsible for his death is here on this planet and has Parvolus. _He_ has the little one...

"Soundwave!" Lord Megatron yelled, thankfully able to pull me out of memories from before the war. I shut down the transmission I still had displayed on my mask and looked at my leader. I searched through my CPU quickly to express what I wished to say. I found a recording of Knockout's voice.

"_We don't have a lot of time."_

All he did was glare at me while the others in the room stared at me, most of them with confused expressions on their faceplates.

"I believe we have already established that." I continued to stare at him through my mask. He didn't understand. Parvolus is in very real danger.

"_Soundwave, there's something you know that you're not telling us,"_ Bumblebee said, turning to fully face me. I only moved to stare at him. The youngling never backed down as he stared back.

To explain what I knew, I played back a recording of the monster's voice. "_I've done this more than you would think."_

"What are you getting at?" Bulkhead asked. Ratchet answered the question for me.

"He's saying that this 'Faultline' has taken sparklings before." I stiffly nodded once, appreciating the medic acting as my voice.

"Given the fact that he was hired to take the sparkling, we must assume that he is a mercenary," Dreadwing said. I nodded once again, glad that we were moving in the right direction.

"We must find this mech's vessel. Soundwave, pinpoint this mech's location." Megatron ordered. It did not take me long to track the vessel's trajectory and narrow down his location. Unfortunately, the vessel's signal was _extremely_ well shielded, and I could only narrow it down to a twenty thousand, most likely larger, square mile area.

Bumblebee appeared to be in thought for a moment before speaking what was on his processor. _"At least you were able to give us a general area. Now the only way we can really find the guy's ship is by splitting off into teams and searching the place." _

"Bee's right. If Soundwave can't find the exact spot the freak's ship is, I doubt the rest of us could," Bulkhead said, gesturing towards me. "We'll have to do this the old fashioned way."

...Arcee's POV...

This place is strange enough, but I didn't think that there would be someone else here besides Faultline, Optimus and me.

Someone came to the room right as I was speaking to Optimus. Thankfully I was able to jump off the chair and push it back over by the table before I was seen. When the bot opened the door, I was surprised to see who it was.

The bot was a slender, light purple femme, a black visor covering her optics. She didn't say a word as she carried her tray in. I stared at her as she skated in (she had wheels for pedes) and place her tray on the table with the crystal zap pony. The tray had two, beautifully carved blue crystal cups and a matching blue crystal pitcher of very high quality energon wine.

I looked away from the tray she put on the table as she moved over to the wall and stood there, her helm down slightly and dainty servos clasped in front of her, like a waitress... or a servant. It's like she's waiting on something. I soon found out what that was.

"Hello, Autobot femme. I see you have met my servant." I gritted my denta when I heard that voice. It was Faultline. What does that freak want?

The mech walked into the room and smiled at me. His soft, red optics stared at me from across the room as he stood in the doorway. I refused to say anything, and he didn't seem to mind.

"Come! Have a seat." Faultline waved a servo towards the two chairs facing the table and moved to sit in one of them. I reluctantly walked over to the table and sat in the chair across from him. I watched as he picked up the pitcher and filled both of the crystal cups with the energon wine. He lifted his cup and took a long sip of his wine and smiled back at me.

"Now, I did say that we'd have proper introduction later. As you already know, my name is Faultline. I have yet to get your name." He looked at me expectantly.

"Arcee." He grinned, showing a bit of his shining denta as I told him my name.

"Ah, such a pretty name. Of course, that's to be expected from a pretty femme." I tried to ignore what he just said. Faultline took a sip of his wine again and gestured towards my cup.

"Go ahead, it won't kill you. Lackluster made it herself." I blinked again at his words and glance over at the slender femme with the black visor by the wall. 'Lackluster'? I am positive that that is not her name. The name was too ugly to have been given to such a pretty femme by her creators, let alone anyone.

I looked back at the mech sitting in front of me and kept my optics off him as I took the cup in both servos and brought it close to my face. The energon wine smelled safe; nothing was put in it. It actually smelled nice. If this femme did make this, she did a very good job. I took a tiny sip of the wine and allowed myself to enjoy how good it tasted for a nanoklik. Faultline chuckled as I sipped my energon wine.

"Now, I'm sure I can assume that you are nervous. You shouldn't be. I plan on treating you nicely."

What he said rattled me a bit, but my own safety isn't my top priority. I looked at the mech, my grip tightening on the cup and shifting in my chair. "Who had you take the sparkling?" Someone had to have hired him; he has absolutely nothing personal against Optimus.

He gave me a small, creepy smile. "Hm, I see you like it straight to the point."

I stared at him, waiting for an answer. He didn't make me wait long. "That is something I cannot tell you."

Knowing I didn't have the advantage here, I didn't press for answers. I decided to ask something else. "What do you plan on doing with him?"

"I cannot tell you that, either." From his tone, I could tell that I wasn't going to get anything out of him unless he decided to tell me on his own. That just made me even more worried for my little brother's safety.

After that, I decided that I would keep trying with him. I know he'll come back. I don't like this fact at all, but he'll come back because he likes me.

Faultline drank the rest of his energon wine and refilled his cup. "Now, I can't stay long. I have business to take care of elsewhere. Make yourself at home, and if you need anything, just call for Lackluster."

With that, he down his wine and left me in the room with the femme. I sat there for a moment, worrying. I wasn't worried for myself. I was feeling this way for the little baby, scared and alone in the next room.

I looked over at the femme, who had started to move towards the door. Maybe I could learn something from her. But first, I'll have to get to know her a bit. It will get her comfortable enough to tell me. I stood and called out to her. "Excuse me?"

The femme stopped, but didn't look in my direction. I'll take that as a good sign. "I know what he said is not your name. What's your name?"

She didn't move and she didn't answer. I would have gotten frustrated if I were in any other situation. I'm sure she's a prisoner in this place. I can understand it if she didn't want to answer that. Maybe she'll answer a less personal question. "Where are you from?"

I got silence again as I stood there. For a minute I thought that she wouldn't answer, but that was when a _very_ quiet voice met my audio receptors. It was so low I almost couldn't hear it.

"I'm from Velocitron." Before I could ask her anything else she quickly sped out of the room, leaving me here alone.

I was shocked to hear that she was a Velocitronian. Her home planet was once a colony of Cybertron's, but after the collapse of the Space Bridges, all contact with them was severed. The same thing happened with other colonies.

The thought of how she possibly came to be stuck with Faultline as a slave made me shiver.

...Ratchet's POV: Twenty Minutes Later...

The area we had to scout was too large for the six of us, yet we couldn't afford to have more people know about this than was needed. We decided to get Knockout and Breakdown involved. More grounders allowed us to give a more thorough search of the surface. Because of that, I know that we will be out here for a long time. I'm intent upon doing just that. I'll do whatever it takes to find my son.

The place we're in is heavily wooded, and these huge trees are capable of hiding a ship of a decent size. This side of the planet was dark, and the only real source of light is the moon. Because of this, we were split off into pairs.

Dreadwing and Soundwave were partnered with each other and were currently flying to the west. Bulkhead and Bumblebee were further north of my position, and Knockout and Breakdown were east of my position. I had been partnered with Megatron by Bumblebee. I was currently on the ground, while Megatron was flying overhead. To assist even more in our search by both ground and air, Soundwave deployed Laserbeak and Ravage in this area.

We all agreed to remain in alternate modes for as long as possible, since there is always the risk of us being seen by any unsuspecting humans.

Neither of us liked the fact that we were to work with each other; Megatron and I were of opposite factions. But it wasn't about us, and we understood that. But that didn't stop Megatron from insulting the speed of my alternate mode through the comm link.

I couldn't care less about his affronts regarding my ambulance mode, but I did become irritated for a related reason. An ambulance can handle abuse, but not this sort of abuse. There was simply too much foliage, too many fallen branches and things of that nature for this alternate mode. Breakdown and Bulkhead could handle this sort of off-roading with ease. Bumblebee and Knockout don't have this issue since they both are with a larger mech who can clear a path if need be. I know Megatron isn't going to come down here to assist me.

I eased forward in my vehicular mode, pushing a particularly large branch out of the way with my front bumper as I moved into a clearing. I sat there for a moment after turning off my headlights, and looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled above me and all was quiet. The quiet didn't calm me down.

I feel useless down here. Something has to change.

Suddenly, I heard the roar of powerful engines above me. I searched the sky and saw a human fighter jet flying high overhead. I sighed as I stared at it. I'm a natural grounder, but that doesn't mean I can't scan a new vehicular mode.

I transformed back to bipedal mode and engaged my transcan mechanisms. I prepared my CPU as I scanned the fighter jet and analyzed every piece of machinery for use. I ran a diagnosis on my frame, making sure that my T-Cog was primed for my next course of action.

Once I felt everything was ready, I shuttered my optics and ventilated deeply while I stood in the light of the moon. I must do this, whether I want to or not. This is for my son. I will do _anything _for my son.

With that, I transformed.

**...And so, the hunt begins...**

**Alright, Ratchet's got a new alt mode. Can you guess what plane he is? (Hint: It's not an F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon, or F-35 Lightning II. That's Bayverse Starscream, TFP Starscream, and TFP Dreadwing.)**

**I attribute the Dreadwing and Soundwave team-up to Optimus's girl.**

**I credit Arcee's attempts to get information out of Faultline to PixelusPrime.**

**In case you're wondering, Steve was Halli's old owner and was fine with Soundwave giving her to the Autobots.**

**Steve and his friend help Soundwave by delaying Starscream at the same time Bumblebee is talking to Megatron. Arcee's meeting with Faultline takes place around the same time as when Ratchet sees the fighter jet in the sky.**

******If you have any questions, comments or ideas, just let me know in a review.**

**Until next time! :)**

**P.S. From the rage I saw in chapters' 14 and 15 reviews towards Starscream and Faultline, I'd say that many of you would be fine with a lynch mob hunting them down...**


	17. Warmth

**Seeing the direction that this story is going, I have decided to raise the rating for safety reasons. **

**Anyway, this is the seventeenth chapter of this story. Glad to continue writing this! :)**

**This starts in Optimus's POV and goes from there. I don't own the Transformers, Hasbro does. **

**Here we go!**

I shivered as I lay on the cold floor of the death room. I brought my knees closer to my cold frame, attempting to retain my own warmth as I quietly cried.

Arcee was comforting me through the air vent before she suddenly stopped. I was left in this silence, without the comforting words of my family member. Never have I been so frightened in my life. The child within me wailed for the comforting warmth of my father. I wanted to be held close to him again. I wanted to be lulled asleep by the rumbling purr of his engines as I leaned into his chestplates.

I clutched at the black and silver Autobot insignia charm of the necklace Cliffjumper's spirit had given to me for my spark day. The little necklace only empowered the cherished memories of my family, online, as well as deceased. I remember the happiness I felt on my spark day. The happiness I felt when I saw Soundwave walk in the base with my father.

The child within me also wished to be in the company of Soundwave. My processor flashed through the moments I shared with him. I looked up at Soundwave's mask as I was being fed by him, feeling his loving affection. I heard myself laugh as I played little games with him. I felt his gentle touch as he stroked my little helm while I lay on his padded berth, sleeping. Despite his cold, emotionless appearance, Soundwave had a very warm spark. During my stay with the Decepticons, Soundwave seemed to care for me as though I were his own child.

These familiar memories echoing in my mind, I found that I had crawled over to the dead sparkling with underdeveloped wings and lay down next to him. I told myself that he was alive and was merely recharging. I took little comfort in the lie.

As I looked at the sparkling's small, partially closed servo, I wondered what this sparkling was like when his spark was still beating. Did he like energon candy as I do? What was his favorite toy? Did he enjoy games? Was he shy?

Of course, I will never get the answers to these questions. He is dead.

Despite the inanity of my thoughts, I could not help but wonder about this sparkling, lying dead next to my cold frame. What was his name? Where was he from? Who was his carrier?

How did he get here?

I shivered again at the notion of this sparkling being taken from his family. I had hoped that I was the first sparkling to be taken by this mech. But, this sparkling was testament to the unfortunate truth. In an attempt to dispel this frightening sensation, I reached out and touched the cold sparkling, feeling the light orange paint on his chassis turn to powder in my servo. He is not alive, yet he is my companion in this death room. I suppose I am not so alone.

I tried to wipe my tears away and slowly sat up to gather the blanket that I had used to cover myself. With the blanket in my servos, already beginning to lose the warmth the cloth kept close to my little frame, I looked down at the sparkling, into his dead optics.

This sparkling died there, cold and alone.

Blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, I pulled the blanket over his cold frame and shifted closer to him. My blanket was large enough to cover both of us, so I took the other end of it and pulled it over my frame as well. I moved closer to the sparkling, jerking slightly when I felt his icy plating on my leg where it brushed against his own stiff limb. I laid my helm next to his and gazed at his faceplates. The dried streaks of blue tinted tears traced down his dull, peaceful faceplates from his open optics.

The sight caused my own tears to overflow, blurring my already blurred vision. He felt the same emotions I am now. He felt the same yearning to return home. He felt the same crack in his spark from being taken from his family.

I lifted my little servo and slowly closed his optics. He is dead, but at least he will appear to be sleeping.

Both of us lay here, underneath my blanket. I pressed even closer to him, seeking what comfort my companion could provide, letting my warmth spread into him. This sparkling is the only one in this world who understands the pain I feel. We both are here, in the dark death room of the strange mech. We both are crying.

Arcee attempted to comfort me before she abruptly stopped. Arcee does not feel this biting cold; she does not understand.

She can no longer comfort me.

As I attempted to avoid looking at the pile of severed pedes that was uncomfortably close to my companion, I gazed at my silent friend's small, outstretched hand again. I shifted under the blanket I shared with my companion, reached over and gently grasped his cool hand.

The silence in this death room was becoming intolerable. I looked around the death room and saw the heads suspended from the ceiling. I immediately turned away, the silence in the room beginning to ring in my audio receptors. I could hear the silence; I could almost identify a sound in the silence.

The distant wail I heard petrified me.

Eventually, I started to sing quietly, my ventilations hitching frequently. I had to fill the silence; I must ignore the mournful wail. My father sang this to me the night before I was taken to the Decepticons, and it made me feel slightly better. That feeling was all too brief. A tiny sob escaped my lips as I felt the stiffness in his hand, disrupting the pattern of the song. Soon, my little song was reduced to a series of whimpers that were laced together in my futile attempts to fill the crushing silence in the death room. I gave in to the sorrow of the child within me and my tears streaked down my faceplates as I lay on my side, next to my companion, and dripped onto the cold floor between my faceplates and his.

I curled up, settling into the fetal position on the cold floor while I held the sparkling's hand. I quickly saw that the sparkling mirrored my position; his knees were drawn close his chassis. The sparkling's plating was beginning to feel warmer as I shared my blanket – our blanket – with him.

At least, in death, he will no longer be cold and alone.

...

I was asleep when I felt a gentle hand touch me, rousing me from my light slumber. Before I opened my optics, I realized that I was no longer lying on the floor next to my companion. My plating was warm, as if I had been wrapped in a heated blanket. This heat enveloped me, making me feel safe, despite my upsetting surroundings.

Immediately relaxing into the comforting warmth, I made sure that my optics remained shuttered and frame remained curled into the fetal position. The child within me feared that the warmth that I so desperately wanted would vanish if I attempted to glimpse its source. The warrior within me eclipsed the childish notion. Eventually, I steadily opened my optics and turned to face the source of the strange, yet welcoming warmth.

I smiled once I saw who it was.

...Jack's POV...

I sat nervously on the couch next to Miko, who had a worried look on her face, as I flipped my phone shut. I had just got off the phone with my mom after she called me, asking what happened. She said that Bumblebee had raced Raf over to the hospital ER earlier and was worried about the rest of us. Mom said that Raf had significant damage to his hearing, but was otherwise unharmed. He'll be at the hospital for a little while, just so the doctors can keep an eye on him.

He had to have been hit by some sort of sound based weapon. I'm one hundred percent positive it was the guy who took Optimus and Arcee.

I told my mom that things weren't going well, and that I'd rather not talk about it over the phone. I knew she wanted to get over here as soon as possible, but I also knew that the hospital was busy. I could hear it in the background. She won't be coming over to the base for a while. Once she was done at the hospital, which will be some time this afternoon, she's going to come down here to check on the two of us.

Miko gave me a worried look. "Is Raf okay?"

"My mom said he's going to be fine, but whatever he was hit with gave him permanent hearing loss."

Miko's eyes widened in shock as she gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. "You mean... Raf's _deaf?!_"

"No, no, no, he's not deaf." _Thank God he isn't_, I thought as I shook my head. "He can still hear, but it's not as good as it used to."

That seemed to calm her down a bit, but she didn't look like she was feeling any better. She just sunk into the couch, a lot quieter than she normally is. She's really worried about Raf, like I am. The poor guy got hurt again, but at least it's not a life or death situation this time.

From what I remember learning in biology in my freshman year of high school, serious pain starts at one hundred and twenty-five decibels. I thought that's what caused what happened to Raf. But when Mom told me that he was bleeding from the ears and was going to have some permanent hearing loss, I knew the decibel number was higher. Death of hearing tissue will happen at one hundred and eighty decibels. That's almost like standing next to a jet engine while it's firing off.

What I don't understand is how come Miko and I didn't lose part of our hearing. All three of us were in the same room when this happened to Raf... but he was the only one who got hurt. The only thing I can think of is some kind of powerful sound beam that concentrated only on Raf. I saw on a documentary that the military used something like a high-intensity low-frequency sound machine for interrogations at some point, but banned them because they were too dangerous. I guess they aren't dangerous enough to make Cybertronians ban them.

"If they don't call in soon, I'm gonna blow up all those 'Cons." We turned around when we heard Wheeljack mumble. He was pacing back and forth, tossing the grenade he usually kept at his hip up in the air repeatedly.

"What do you think happened to them?" Miko asked me. Wheeljack turned back from where he was walking by the Ground Bridge controls and answered for me.

"They got caught by the 'Cons, _that's_ what." He started pacing again, past us and back towards Halli, who was still lying on her berth.

The poor dog was hurt when the intruder came, and now she's just lying there on her side, watching Wheeljack. She looks like she's doing better already; I saw her gently thump her tail against the berth when Wheeljack had his back turned. She looked like she wanted to stand up.

Or she's getting ready to.

"Look, kid," Wheeljack said to me. "I'm going in to go check things out. Stay here with the dog."

I jumped up and ran over to the railing as Wheeljack walked over to the Ground Bridge. Miko followed behind. Wheeljack was already resetting the coordinates! Why would he go into the _Nemesis_? He won't stand a chance alone!

"Wait, Wheeljack!" He only moved his optics to look over at me as he stood in front of the Ground Bridge control panel. I hesitated for a second when I saw the look on his face. That was the first time I had ever seen him glare at anyone. "Bumblebee said not to come after them!"

Wheeljack smirked at me. "Since when do orders ever stop me?" Before I could even think of a response, Wheeljack had already set the coordinates of the _Nemesis_ into the monitor. The Ground Bridge flashed and the blue-green vortex turned on.

"See you two later." All Miko and I could do was watch as he transformed and zoomed through the Ground Bridge. We continued to stare as the Bridge closed.

"So, we're stuck here, alone in the base with a hurt cyberdog." Miko muttered from next to me as she rested her arms on the railing and put her head down. She probably felt useless here. To tell you the truth, I felt the same way. All of the other 'Bots were gone, except Halli. I doubt she can really do anything to help out.

Suddenly, I heard a hissing sound. Miko's head shot up as she heard it too. I looked around, trying to figure out what it was. It sounded like hydraulics hissing. I've heard this before… I heard it one time when Ratchet strained a bit while standing up. He said that his joints tended to do that when he sits for an extended period of time.

"Is that Halli?" Miko asked, looked up at me. I didn't answer. I only moved to run down the stairs and go over to the cyberdog. Miko did the same and soon we were both standing in front of Halli as she lay on her berth.

I could feel her golden optics burning into me as she stared at me. Her legs were constantly moving around, and I tried not to wince when I heard her sharp claws scraping against the berth.

Miko's eyes lit up as she moved closer to the huge dog's muzzle. "Come on! You can do it!"

I was about to ask her what she was talking about when I saw the answer to my question. I backed up a few steps as I stared at the enormous dog. I watched her head rise higher and higher, and a huge paw landed right in front of me. I could hear hydraulics hiss again as another paw came down off to my right.

Halli worked up the strength to stand up.

She stood over Miko and me, looking down at us. Her tail was all the way down, almost like a wolf's. The brown plating just above her golden optics were lower than they usually were. I didn't know dogs could even have that serious of a look on their faces.

"Halli, are you okay?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. She lowered her head so she was eye level with me and blinked slowly. I hope that means yes.

Suddenly, she turned and walked off down the hallway. Miko and I looked at each other for a second before going after her.

"Hey, where are you going?" Miko asked as we ran behind her. Halli slowed and lowered her head to the ground, completely ignoring us. She started sniffing around on the ground. I instantly knew what she was doing.

"She's tracking something," I said, walking around to stand by her head, which was still close to the ground.

"She's tracking Optimus's scent!" Miko gasped, breaking out into a huge smile.

I looked at the huge dog and back over at Miko. "We don't know anything about tracking, so let's just follow her."

…

We followed Halli a little ways down the hall before she stopped in front of a storage room. That's strange; the storage room doors were never just left open.

Halli padded closer to the door, sniffing at one point on the floor. From where I was beside her, I couldn't quite see what she was sniffing, but Miko could.

"She found Optimus's stuffed tiger!" I looked around Halli's legs to see it. Optimus must have dropped when he was taken; after his birthday, the tiger went where ever he went.

I went over to it and Halli lifted her head so I could get to the stuffed tiger. I looked it over and saw blue-ish stains in the fur on its head and on its ear. They looked like little tear stains.

"Maybe we can track Optimus's scent with it." Miko suggested. I nodded, then shook my head. It was a good start, but not the best idea.

"We might be able to track him, but for all we know, Optimus could be on the other side of the planet. It would take way too long."

Miko put her hands on her hips and gave me an irritated look. "You got any better ideas?"

Halli stared down at the two of us with an impatient look in her optics. It took us a second to notice her turning around and walking back towards the main control room. Neither of us questioned it, and we just followed the cyberdog. I guess she has her own plans.

When we made it back to the main control room, Halli walked over to the Ground Bridge controls and stood up on her hind paws, resting her front ones on the control panel. She looked over at us standing in the center of the room, lifted a paw and banged it on the control panel.

"She wanted us to Bridge her somewhere!" Miko smiled.

"Y-yeah, but 'somewhere' could be the somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy! And she can't exactly tell us where!" I said. Miko looked like she was about to say something sarcastic when we both saw Halli move again.

Halli pushed off the control panel and I heard a muffled thump when her front paws came back down on the floor. The enormous German shepherd lookalike padded closer to us and turned around all the way. She stared up at the green tinted monitor. Miko and I looked at the monitor, not really expecting to see anything. There's just the same picture of the _Nemesis_ and its flashing set of coordinates on the screen.

"Oh, she wants to be Bridged out to the _Nemesis_!" As soon as Miko said that, Halli's tail lifted and started wagging hard, almost shaking her whole body. She looked anxiously back at us as her tail continued to wag for a little longer.

"Maybe someone there can help us find Optimus." I looked at Miko as if she had lost her mind.

"Miko, no! We can't just _ask_ them for help!"

"Again, you got any better ideas?" I was about respond when Miko ran up the stairs and over to the computer Raf used to turn on the Ground Bridge. I sighed and waited by Halli's leg. She's going through with this whether I like it or not.

The Ground Bridge was up and running in a few seconds, and Miko came back down the stairs. Halli turned and looked towards the vortex, but didn't move. I gave a confused look.

"I thought you wanted to go to the warship," I said, looking up at the dog. She only crouched down very low, so low that her belly was pressed against the ground. It reminded me of a camel kneeling and waiting for a rider to get on its back...

"Oh no, I'm _not_ getting on your back!" I said, shaking my head and backing away a bit. There is no way I'm riding a giant dog. I've never even ridden a horse before!

Halli thumped her tail against the floor impatiently and looked at me. Miko was already scrambling over Halli's shoulders and sitting at the base of her neck.

"Jack, she's gonna need someone to talk for her." I considered what Miko said for a moment. I guess she's right. Halli _is_ going to need someone to talk for her. I know Miko's going to want to fill that position, and I can't just let her go alone.

"So you coming or not?" I looked up at Miko and back down at the stuffed tiger that was still in my hand. Optimus needed help, and for all we know, the three of us could be the only ones that can do that.

I slightly tightened my grip on Optimus's stuffed tiger as I looked at Halli and Miko. "Let's make sure to be quiet when we get there."

...Steve's POV: Aboard the _Nemesis_ – Twenty Minutes Later...

"I don't think Commander Starscream's suspisious of us," My friend, Shank, pointed out. Just a little while ago we deflected Starscream from finding Soundwave in his personal quarters.

"I don't think Soundwave knows that we warded off Starscream so he could get away without look suspicious," I said as the two of us walked down the dark hallway. There wasn't anything for us to do, really, aside from keep an optic on Starscream. I heard through the private Vehicon comm. link that Lord Megatron had secretly left the warship under Volk's control, though it looks like he's just filling in Soundwave's station. That wasn't extremely strange since Volk is trained enough to handle the communications station, and he's taken over a few times when Commander Soundwave was out on important missions.

Volk sounded confused and little upset over the comm. link since Lord Megatron didn't tell him anything about why he was put in such an important position under orders to make sure Starscream knows nothing about where Lord Megatron and the other commanding officers are. Volk doesn't know this, but Lord Megatron left with the Autobots, too. I don't think Starscream knows the Autobots were even on the warship. To Volk, he was just put there out of the blue. I can understand how he feels. Volk is the kind of bot who needs to know the reasoning behind such an important command.

I have a feeling that we may have to tell Volk about what's going on.

"Hey, Steve, I need to check in with Knockout," I heard my friend say from beside me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked at him.

"Why?" He pointed down at his ankle.

"Remember when your dog nearly bit my foot off? I don't know about you, but that's kind of hard to forget." I waved him off when I heard the irritated tone in his voice.

"Yeah, that was kind of your fault. You shouldn't have been messing with her in the first place. You know she doesn't like you."

"Yeah, yeah." We continued to talk to each other the entire way to Knockout's medbay. Shank needed to check in with Knockout so he can remove the recovery patches and make sure the bite wound wasn't infected. I doubt it was (Shank wasn't glitching about it), but you can never be too sure.

Once we opened the medbay door, we just stood there in the doorway in shock. No one was in there! Oh, my Primus, and I know exactly where they are, too. Shank and I shared a panicked look.

"They're out looking for Parvolus!" We nearly shouted at the same time. This is not good. Starscream's going to know something is up when he sees that Lord Megatron, Commander Soundwave, Commander Dreadwing _and_ Knockout and Breakdown are gone on some mystery mission. We have to make sure that it takes him the longest possible to find out something's up.

I placed a digit to my audio receptor and commed Rudder. He'll man the med bay. He knows more about that sort of thing than any of us Vehicons.

"_Tripwire to Rudder, come in, Rudder."_ I said over the comm. link using my real name. Shank looked at me as I contacted the old medic. The look in his optics told me that he knew exactly what I planned on doing.

"_Go ahead."_ I mentally sighed when I heard the old mech's voice, not that I didn't know whether or not he would respond.

"_Rudder, I need you to man the medbay_." I refrained from saying why over the comm. link since I didn't know if anyone on the warship was listening in on the conversation.

"_...On my way."_ I lowered my hand when the connection cut out. Rudder will have to take this position while Knockout and Breakdown are gone. Thankfully it won't be too strange since, like Volk, he has filled a higher position before.

Once he got there, we told him that Knockout and Breakdown were off on the hunt for whoever took Parvolus and that he needed to fill in for them. I also told him that we were trying our hardest to keep this whole thing on the DL, especially from Starscream. Since Rudder already knew what was up, he agreed with us, but warned us not to try too hard, otherwise our efforts would look really obvious to others.

Shank and I left the medbay in a hurry, and speed walked down the hall over to Soundwave's station. Thank Primus Volk was still there and no one else was nearby.

"Volk, Volk! We need to talk to you about something!" Shank said as we approached him from behind. The paranoid mech nearly jumped out of his plating when he heard us, and turned around to glare at Shank and I.

"Don't do that, Shank! Are you _trying_ to crash my CPU?!" Shank waved him off.

"Oh, please, if I wanted to do that, I would have done it by now." I lightly shoved Shank, trying to silently tell him to get serious. I mentally sighed in relief when he got the point.

"Volk, we need to talk to you about something-," I started before getting cut off by Volk turning back to the monitor.

"Can't it wait until my shift is over? I'm busy!" I resisted the urge to grab his shoulder and turn him back around. This is way more important than he knows.

"Officer Volk," I said, knowing the title would get his attention. "This is in regards to why you are here in the first place."

Volk scoffed, still facing the monitor. "What do you know about this? I'm the top Vehicon officer and I don't even know why I was stationed here. What makes you think you know?"

"He doesn't _think_ he knows. He _knows _he knows." Shank said, getting irritated. I put a servo on his shoulder to calm him down. He quieted down, but he still had an irritated glow in his visor.

"Volk, Lord Megatron put you here to keep the_ Nemesis_ under control while he's gone." The paranoid mech stopped and turned around to look at us.

"Yes, I know that."

"But you don't know _why_ he left, do you?" He didn't respond, but I knew that he didn't know. "He left because the sparkling is missing."

He stared at us in shock. The only way we know this is because we eavesdropped. And Volk, being the paranoid mech he is, _hates_ eavesdropping.

"You listened in on a private conversation?! I hope that Lord Megatron doesn't find out you did that, otherwise, you're as good as slagged. And now that you've told me, all three of us are going to die! Do you realize what you've done?!"

Volk's voice started to rise in pitch, as it usually did when he started to panic. I heard Shank snicker, and I subtly kicked him. I held up both my servos, trying to calm Volk down.

"I know, Volk, I know we could get in a scrap load of trouble if Lord Megatron finds out we know this. But that's not important right now. We need to keep everything under control while we are here so Starscream doesn't find out what's going on." I whispered the last sentence, making sure he saw how important this was.

Volk stepped closer to the two of us. "What does Commander Starscream have to do with this?"

Shank and I shared a look before I told him. "You know how Starscream tried to kill the sparkling?"

Volk nodded, anger flashing across his red-orange visor. "It's impossible to forget what he did."

"Well, he's trying again."

"WHAT?!" Volk shouted. Shank and I were quick to quiet him down. Once we calmed him down a bit, I continued to explain the circumstances to him.

"He hired somebot to kill the sparkling for him, and now Lord Megatron and a few others are searching for the bot that took the sparkling." A confused look almost replaced the anger towards Starscream in Volk's optics.

"Who are the others with him?" I hesitated before telling him that Soundwave and two of his Deployers, Knockout, Breakdown, Dreadwing, and the Autobots were out searching for the mercenary's ship. Volk is really paranoid, but he knows how to keep a secret really well. I can trust him to know this.

Volk's visor brightened in shock. "Lord Megatron called a truce with the _Autobots_?! ...This truly is serious... Commander Starscream doesn't know that he is a suspect, correct?"

I shook my helm. "Shank and I have been running around trying to make sure that he doesn't find out."

Volk placed a servo on his chin and looked away for a moment before looking back at us and nodding. "I'll do what I can to make sure that Commander Starscream doesn't find out from this station. But, the troops need to know about this to guarantee that this plan will work."

I nodded. I can understand the logic in the decision. The plan is to make sure that Starscream thinks that absolutely nothing wrong, but it would be completely useless if some unknowing mech ruins the entire plot by saying or doing something he shouldn't have around Starscream. If the plan is discovered by Starscream, all three of us here know that he would bolt faster than lightning.

Volk decided to gather all the Vehicon officers and hold a secret meeting. There were a lot of shocked and angry whispers among the thirty-two Vehicon officers in the room when I broke the news that Starscream hired a mercenary to kill Parvolus. Their assignment was to tell their squads the news and that they were to make sure that Starscream knew absolutely nothing. No one was to speak verbally of the news about the sparkling. The only way that information was to be shared among the troops was on the private Vehicon comm. link. Starscream couldn't tap into that transmission line; only Vehicons know how to. I'm really glad I created that comm. link line for us troopers. We need some way to share information privately.

Volk and I decided not to tell them about the Autobot-Decepticon truce. Both of us agreed after the meeting that that was a little too much information for them, and too soon. That could cause another world of problems.

Soon enough, the entire warship knew about what Starscream did. Everyone knew about the plan to keep Starscream in the dark, except Starscream, of course. It was business as usual, and the _Nemesis_ was to look to Starscream like it was just another normal day. The troops did a pretty good job at looking as if nothing was up. If I didn't know anything, I'd think that everything was fine.

The private Vehicon comm. link was another story. It was buzzing with the news of the sparkling being taken from the Autobots. _Everyone_ was upset. People were already saying that they wanted to gang up and wring a confession out of the grey Seeker. I heard someone over the comm. link (I think the guy's name was Pillage) say that he wanted to form a lynch mob and kill him. A bunch of people agreed with him.

I kind of got the feeling that Shank wanted to sign up for that lynch mob as I walked down the hallway with him. I tried to get him to calm down when both of us were suddenly snatched into another, darker hallway.

"Both of you 'Cons, talk. Where are the other 'Bots?" Both of our helms were banged against the wall, and all I could see for a moment were white stars gliding across my vision. My head started to ring, but I fought to clear it up enough to see who had ambushed us. Before I could get a good look at the bot, I felt the incredibly sharp point of a sword pressing into my throat. I looked to my left to see Shank sitting up against the wall with a sword pointed at his neck, like me. Only he was hardly conscious.

I looked at the bot threatening the two of us. the mech was white, red and green... this was the Autobot named Wheekjack! He probably came in after the Autobots after not hearing back from them. I'm going to have to convince him that I'm on his side when it comes to finding the sparkling.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, can we stop for a minute? I know you're here for the rest of the 'Bots, but they aren't here." The sword pressed harder in my throat, drawing a little energon, as he glared down at me in the dark hallway.

"And why should I believe you?" I ventiliated heavily, feeling the pain of his sword piercing the sensitive plating.

"Because I want the sparkling safe just as much as you do." He chuckled at me.

"Oh, really?" He pressed the sword even harder into my throat, and for a moment I thought he was going to impale me. He didn't believe me. I shuttered my optics, preparing myself for pain, right when I heard a sound from down the darkened hallway. The sword let up a bit and I opened my optics to see Wheeljack glancing repeatedly down the hall, where the sound was coming from. I took my chance to shake Shank awake when the Autobot wasn't looking. My friend looked around, confused. Then he heard what was coming down the hallway.

It sounded almost like paws slamming against the metal... Soon enough, though I found out that that's what it was.

My old cyberdog came running down the hallway, towards us! I sat up slightly, even with the sword threatening to lop my head off, and looked at her running towards us. How in the world did she get onto the warship?

I couldn't even try to think of an answer when she tackled me to the ground, dead set on licking my face.

"Hey, hey! Calm down, girl!" I couldn't help but laugh as she nearly got on top of me as she happily licked my faceplates.

"You know this dog?" Wheeljack asked, lowering his sword, only so that he wouldn't hurt the dog. I wasn't able to answer him, since he asked another question, but not to me.

"What were you two doing riding the dog? And I thought I told you two to stay at the base." Another, female voice came, though I couldn't see where around the dog that was still smothering me with affection.

"Since when do orders ever stop me?" I recognized the voice, but only vaguely. I think it was one of the humans the Autobots associate with.

Eventually I was able to push the heavy dog off me and stand to my feet. She sat obediently by my legs and looked around at all of us. Shank had stood up and moved away from her. He was probably thinking about when he was bit by her. The only reason why she did that was because her tail was stepped on. Otherwise, I don't think she would have done something like that.

"Oh. Wonderful. _Humans_." Shank muttered sarcastically, prompting me to kick him. I know he doesn't like humans, but now is not the time. I looked down at the two humans as they spoke to the white Autobot.

"It's okay, Wheeljack. I'm sure those two are fine if the dog is fine with them." The female human said. The white Autobot looked back at us and looked us over before lowering his swords.

"I guess you're right. That dog isn't friendly to just anybody."

"We came to help find Optimus after we saw that Halli wanted to sniff him out with this," The black haired human male said, holding up what looked like a stuffed animal. Suddenly, an idea came into my processor. Maybe we Vehicons couldn't go help look for the sparkling, but maybe I can send them out.

"We can help you all find the sparkling." I said, gesturing towards Shank. I saw the human female put her hands on her hips and glare up at me.

"And why would we believe you? You're a Decepticon!"

"Yeah, I'm a Decepticon. A Decepticon that is perfectly capable of warning _everyone_ on this warship that you all are here and _where_ you all are." I saw Shank's optics brighten in satisfaction when he saw the little human hesitate. The little human male spoke up.

"He's right; he could have called security on us as soon as he saw us."

"So are you willing to work with me or not?" I asked, stroking the top of the cyberdog's head. I noticed a recovery patch welded to her helm, but paid no attention to it. She seems to be doing fine. Wheeljack looked Shank and me up and down before slowly putting his swords away.

"I guess I can work with you two. Only for the kid." I nodded at the white Autobot (I believe he's a Wrecker), and spoke.

"The other Autobots are fine; in fact, they are out searching for the sparkling." I shifted slightly on my pedes as the six of us stood in the dark hallway.

"How are they out looking for the kid if they got caught by the 'Cons?" Wheeljack asked, holding his arms over his chassis and glaring at me.

"Lord Megatron cut a deal with them, agreeing to work with all three of them to find the sparkling," Shank said, answering for me.

"Uh, I find that a little hard to believe," The human male said. I looked down at the little human.

"You humans and Autobots aren't the only ones who care for the sparkling."

Wheeljack laughed. "So old Buckethead's gone soft, huh?"

Shank balled his servos into tight fists at the term the Wrecker used to refer to our leader. "Look, _Lord Megatron_ cares about whether or not a sparkling lives to see another solar cycle."

"Shank, calm down," I said, looking over at my upset friend. He looked back at me, visor bright. The last thing we need is to start fighting.

"I can send you to the coordinates that Lord Megatron, his mechs, and the other Autobots set. Just wait here with the dog." I didn't give them any time to respond before I left the dark hallway and raced towards down another hallway, with Shank beside me. I know they aren't going to leave that hallway, since that risks them being seen.

There was a Ground Bridge Station nearby that was currently unmanned, so I can use that to send a Ground Bridge to them.

...

I reached the Ground Bridge station with Shank and accessed the Nemesis's coordinate database. The coordinates Lord Megatron used to go with the Autobots to find the sparkling was guarded by a number of tough firewalls.

Soundwave, naturally. He probably put them there to keep Starscream from seeing them, Now I'm really glad Shank knows a thing or two about getting past Soundwave's firewalls, though I'd rather not think about exactly _how_ he knows.

Soon we had the coordinates set and we sent a transportation vortex to Wheeljack, the humans and the dog. Once we saw that they had gone through, I closed the Ground Bridge and had Shank put the firewalls back up and hide them, so the coordinates will appear to be invisible in the system. We can't have Starcream seeing these coordinates.

Shank looked at me, a nervous look in his optics. "I hope they know what they're doing."

I nodded. I know he wasn't just talking about Wheeljack, the humans and the dog. He was talking about Lord Megatron and the others. Both of us know that the sparkling didn't have much time. Both of us prayed that they find him.

But we can't think about that right now. Right now we have to make sure that Starscream knows nothing about this. Shank and I walked off to check up on Rudder and to see if he needed any help.

We have to do what we can here on the warship to make sure that the first baby in many vorns lives to grow up.

...Dreadwing's POV...

Soundwave and I had steadily drifted away from each other, though we remained in contact with each other via comm. link. Thus far I have seen nothing beyond trees. This was the same for Soundwave. No one was reporting in, so I can safely assume that no one found the mech's vessel. We have been out here for quite some time, and the longer we take trying to find the little child, the more danger the child is in.

I gazed at the landscape below me and watched the trees blur together as I flew overhead. Once I looked back up at the clouds ahead of me, I carefully lowered and raised my left and right ailerons, rolling my alternate mode slightly to the right. As I adjusted my ailerons, I simultaneously shifted my rudders to the right and turned, soaring in the direction of a very distant clearing. I then moved both ailerons to tilt in the opposite directions, rolling my alternate mode so that my underside was parallel to the ground, and boosted the power to my engines. I felt my F-35 alt mode shake ever so slightly as air resistance increased.

I normally enjoyed the sensation of the air on my armor, but this time I did not feel so comfortable in the skies. I was not flying for enjoyment.

Lowering the power to my engines, I slowed down and drifted to the left, having sighted Lord Megatron in his alternate mode. He was heading towards me. He most likely wishes for me to give him a report on my search, though I have nothing to report. Regardless of that fact, I moved towards the clearing so I could formally speak with him.

...

"Did we meet here for a report?" I asked as I stood in front of Lord Megatron in bipedal form. My lord looked down at me, a slight glare in his optics.

"I know you have found nothing, so why would I bother asking you something that I know the answer to?" I blinked up at him, remaining silent as Lord Megatron looked away from me and into the sky. I watched as he seemed to focus on something that was in the air, high above the trees.

_If we did not meet for a report, what are we here for?_ I thought as I looked in the direction my lord was looking._ And what was he looking at?_

"Dreadwing, why did you not tell me of the arrival of one of your Seekers?" Lord Megatron growled dangerously, staring down at me with one accusing optic. I made sure to show no emotions on my faceplates as I wondered what he was talking about. Had any Seekers from my army reached this planet, they would have notified me via transmission. I have not received a transmission from any of my mechs in a very long time. What made him ask me this?

"My lord, none of my Seekers have reached this planet." I responded. Lord Megatron raised an arm and gestured in the direction he was looking.

"Then who might _that_ be?" I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw nothing at first. There was just the night sky and the clouds. Clearly there is something there; Lord Megatron would not point there if there was nothing. I shifted the lenses in my optics back slightly, making images I received from long distances significantly sharper. The change I engaged allowed me to see objects clearly from much longer distances.

I focused my optics and scanned the dark skies. It didn't take me long to see what Lord Megatron was referring to.

I could see a fighter jet moving towards us. From here I can see that the plane was red and white, and appeared to be larger than my alternate mode. From what I know of human fighter jets, specifically Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets, no planes of that kind have such colors all over the body. This had to be a bot.

"Perhaps it is the mech we are searching for." I suggested, still looking hard at the plane that was growing closer to us. Lord Megatron laughed humorlessly at me.

"I would think that a mech who can invade the Autobot base alone at least knows how to fly."

I said nothing in response as I watched the unknown plane roll to the left and right. It had an alarmingly erratic flight pattern. The plane couldn't seem to remain parallel with the ground; the nose kept pitching up and down, as well as rolling almost uncontrollably.

The sight reminded me of when I watched Skyquake practice flying for the first time, so many vorns ago. I remember watching him test his abilities as a youngling. This bot looks very much like a youngling finding their wings for the first time.

This bot truly was a novice at flight, as my brother, Skyquake, once was.

At this point, the bot was close enough to the clearing Lord Megatron and I are standing in to land. We took a few precautious steps back as the bot drew closer. From the erratic flight pattern I was slightly concerned for the bot's safety. A flyer almost always crashes the first time they attempt it.

The bot transformed midair, far too high for a safe landing, and fell to the earth, flailing wildly. I winced at the sound of the mech's frame impacting the ground.

The mech skidded to a stop, digging a small trench in the ground and sending grass flying in all directions. Lord Megatron and I stared at the mech who had crash landed a short distance away from us. I can imagine that was very painful.

The strange mech groaned in pain as he rolled over onto his front, having dented a wing. I saw Lord Megatron blink at the mech.

"You are pathetic, whoever you are."

The mech didn't respond to the insult as he continued to lay there, ventilating heavily. My servo moved towards the cannon on my back, but I decided against it. If this mech can hardly fly, I doubt that he is a threat.

I stepped towards the red and white mech, making sure I had his attention by moving a pede in his line of sight. Regardless of how ridiculous his entrance, I still need basic information from him. "State your business, mech."

The only thing the strange mech did was slowly rise to his servos and knees. I watched as his white and red-tipped wings, which appeared to be rather large, automatically folded to press against his back. His twin jet engines were hidden underneath the folded wings on his back. The sight was comparable to that of a moth's. The white cockpit of the strange mech's alternate mode had split into several pieces and shifted to form a sort of hood over the mech's helm, casting a shadow over his optics. On his faceplates I noticed a long scar over his right optic that was strangely familiar.

He pushed off the ground and stood to his feet, staggering and swaying slightly. He reached up and rubbed the back of his helm, which was most likely sore from the fall he suffered. "I think I broke the sound barrier... That was worse than my trip with Wheeljack in his ship."

My optics widened, instantly recognizing his voice. It was the Autobot medic! He must have just changed his alternate mode; before we came here, I knew that he transformed into his ambulance mode. Lord Megatron seemed just as surprised as I was, though he had a more approving expression on his face.

"I see that you finally understand that flyers are superior to grounders!"

The medic continued to ventilate roughly and turned his helm to stare at Lord Megatron. "My previous alternate mode could not handle the sort of abuse associated with this search. I'm only doing this for my son."

The medic's tone was very serious, and his wings flared out slightly, emphasizing his words. The medic was far more attached to the little child than I initially thought. He is the child's father... I know the pain is hard to deal with, knowing that his child could be in imminent danger.

I looked the medic over. Under the circumstances, I suppose the change should not have been so surprising. When pushed to the right point, sires and carriers are known to do anything they can to ensure the safety of their child.

Suddenly, I heard the roars of powerful engines. I identified four of them coming from the general south and east. Before I could verbally take note of them, I spotted four forms burst from the trees, bringing with them dirt and other organic matter.

Knockout and Breakdown came into view, followed by the two Autobots. All of them, aside from the yellow youngling, onlined their weapons systems and aimed at Ratchet.

"Who are you, Seeker? And how did you find us here?" Breakdown growled, aiming his shoulder mounted cannon at the Autobot medic. I blinked. So I'm not the only one who thought the medic was a Seeker.

Bumblebee walked towards the medic and said, _"Nice look, Ratchet."_

The others' optics all widened in shock. The green Autobot changed his blasters back into his servos and looked at the medic.

"Ratchet?" The medic merely placed his servos on his hips in irritation.

"Who else would it be, Bulkhead?" The others glanced around at each other and offlined their weapons systems one by one. His response confirmed who he was to them.

"Wow," Knockout gaped as he looked the medic over. I can understand why he was so awestruck. The medic's new appearance was very pleasing to the optics, to say the least.

"Knockout, attend to the fledgling's dented wing," Lord Megatron ordered. I glanced at my lord when he used the term to refer to Ratchet. Fledgling was an old term often used to describe novice flyers back on Cybertron. I appreciated the mention of the word. I was reminded of my early days of flight.

The word made me take a mental note to give the Autobot medic flight lessons.

Knockout nodded and moved towards Ratchet. The new flyer looked at the other medic as he stepped around behind him.

"I need you to open your wings a bit and I'll pop that dent right out..." The new flyer complied, flaring his wings out and allowing Knockout to correct the dent from his fall. I watched Knockout take something from his subspace and crouch, grabbing the dented wing to keep it still as he worked. The new flyer gave an irritated grunt and glared over his shoulder back at the mech crouching behind him.

"Be careful with those!" Knockout scoffed.

"Oh, quit complaining." Ratchet continued to grumble and couldn't keep his wings still. I can understand why the new flyer was so uncomfortable. There are millions upon millions of highly sensitive circuit endings in the wings alone. The sensory reception can be hard to control in the wings, especially for new flyers.

"We were nearby when we saw him flying overhead. We didn't know who it was, so we came racing here," The green Wrecker said, gesturing towards the yellow youngling. That seemed to be the case for Knockout and Breakdown as well.

"_Well, while we're here, does anyone have anything to report?"_ Bumblebee asked, his doorwings flapping gently to emphasize his optimistic words. Everyone standing in the clearing said or did something that implied that we had nothing give. The scout sighed, doorwings lowering again.

"_Okay, so this is getting nowhere fast. Something else needs to be done." _Everyone listened to the scout, though my attention was briefly drawn away by the sound of metal popping back into place. Ratchet's wing was mended, evidently.

"And what do you suggest we do, scout?" Lord Megatron looked down at the youngling. Bumblebee lowered his helm briefly in thought.

"_We may have to get the location of the ship out of Starscream."_ I saw Ratchet's optics at the mention of the Seeker's name. I am confident I saw them turn blood red for a moment.

"An excellent idea, Bumblebee," Lord Megatron said, for the first time using the youngling's name. My optics widened slightly as it registered what my lord's words meant. This was a sign that he recognized the youngling as the Autobot leader, and not a mere scout.

"Yeah, let's wring the truth out of Starscream," Breakdown smiled. What surprised me was the fact that Breakdown's archenemy, Bulkhead, agreed with him. They both shared a look, proving this.

We decided to interrogate Starscream, which seemed to be the best course of action in our search for the little child. When I saw the look in Ratchet's optics, I was not sure that the fellow Seeker would leave the interrogation unharmed.

As I stood by, watching the others, I wondered once again where Soundwave was. He seemed to have been affected by the news regarding the owner of the ship we were searching for. Upon hearing the name Faultline, Soundwave looked as if he was about to fall apart. I had never seen the silent mech appear so shaken.

I can only wonder what about Faultline caused the silent, strong-willed mech to falter.

...Optimus's POV...

I smiled up at Cliffjumper as he held me close to his chassis. I briefly noted that I was wrapped snugly in my soft blanket as i gazed up at the spirit's serene face. The red spirit gently smiled back at me as he stroked the side of my little helm. His warmth flowed continually over me, washing away my fear. The child within me was still, satisfied with being cradled to the warm chassis of the red spirit.

I felt very safe in his arms. I hoped that this moment of warmth never ended.

I curled up tighter and yawned, bringing my little fist close to my face to chew on my digits. The red spirit reached over me and wiped away a stray tear from my little face as I absently gnawed on my thumb.

The red spirit's optics were a familiar, comforting, gentle white, illuminating the plating on his dark grey faceplates. Soft, white rays of light shone around the spirit's horned helm as he smiled down at me.

"_You're safe, little one."_

The red spirit rocked me lightly from side to side, holding me securing in his arms. I heard an old song coming from him, further comforting me and staving off the fear of this death room. The song was very old, and in a language that I could not understand. It was far too old for the red spirit to know of it, yet the ancient song was coming from the spirit.

Enjoying the warmth I was bathed in, I vaguely wondered how long he had been watching over me as I was lulled into recharge. I soon found that the amount of time did not matter to me. I was merely delighted to know that I was no longer cold and that I was nestled in the welcoming and warm arms of a loved one.

I hope to leave this death room soon, but at least I can sleep in the loving arms of the red spirit.

...Arcee's POV: Three Hours Later...

I tried to force myself to sleep on this berth, but it wasn't working. No matter how hard I tried, my processor would not slow down enough for me shut down for recharge.

Faultline came again a little while ago with some pleasant smelling oil cake for me. I took the opportunity to demand to know what he wanted. He didn't really answer my question. He only looked at me and smiled, placing the oil cake on the table with crystal zap pony. Just his presence in the room made me feel sick, and I didn't touch the food. What he said to memade me feel even worse, shaking me to the core.

"Arcee, what I want from you, I will get from you in the end."

**I want to thank WingWolfAlari for giving me ideas for the basic structure of the next few chapters. As a token of appreciation, I have drawn some 'Tiny' related gift art for WingedWolfAlari. There's a link to it on my profile page. It's called 'The Love of a Father'. Thanks again for all your help, my lovely reader. :) **

**The reference Ratchet made to his wild ride with Wheejack in the **_**Jackhammer**_** after crash landing in front of Megzy and Dreadwing is dedicated to Kohana Maru. Thanks a million!**

**ForgotMyName2Day, 'Lackluster' does not have a shock collar, and we will find out why in later chapters.**

**Shohanny, 'Lackluster' isn't Soundwave's sparkmate. His sparkmate, Halyard, died before the war of Cosmic Rust. **

**I did quite a bit of serious research on fourth and fifth generation fighter jets trying to decide what plane Ratchet was to change into. I narrowed my search down to planes that were still in service were between fifty and sixty feet in length. I saw that it wouldn't make much sense to have an alt mode that is a replica of a plane that is no longer in the air. I put a size limit on the jet mode because Dreadwing's alternate mode, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, is roughly fifty-one feet long. Ratchet and Dreadwing are of similar size, so it would make sense that their alternate modes would be of similar size. **

**The one I settled on was the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, as Dreadwing mentioned before. The Super Hornet is roughly 60 feet long and has a wingspan of roughly 44 feet. This one has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, or 1,190 mph. The sound barrier is broken at Mach 1, or 760 mph. It can fly as high as 50,000 feet, possibly more. This plane's armament includes a six-barrel cannon, and a rather wide array of guided bombs and missiles. **

**So, overall, this plane is impressive.**

**All of this, aside from Arcee's POV, occur at around the same time. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, just let me know in a review.**

**Till next time! :)**

**P.S. Now the entire warship knows what Starscream did. I think Pillage is going to go through with this lynch mob... Ratchet, along with the others, is ready to murder him during his impending interrogation... Things aren't looking good for the grey Seeker. _At all._**


	18. Stuffed Animal

**I know, I haven't updated in a while, but my flashdrive (which stored my only copy of this chapter) was mangled beyond repair, I struggled a bit putting this back together, and I had some serious testing to do in school. Nevertheless, I was able to complete this and post it for you guys. **

**I don't own Transformers, Hasbro does. Starts in June Darby's POV and goes from there.**

**Here we go, the eighteenth chapter of 'Tiny'.**

I got out of my car and looked around the empty main control room. I had gotten here as soon as I possibly could after I kept an eye on Raf. The poor baby is going to have permanent hearing loss because of whatever happened at the silo. Jack didn't want to tell me what happened over the phone. It was frustrating, but I knew why. Someone could tap into the phone line and listen to what Jack said about the Autobots. The 'Bots are still a government secret, so we couldn't talk over the phone about them. I don't care about the government keeping them from the public; I just care about the Autobots being safe.

I scratched the back of my head in confusion. Jack said he'd talk to me once I got here, but now that I'm here, I don't see him. It's not like Jack to just leave without letting me know where he was.

My first impulse was to go up to the kids' gaming area. They are usually up there… But as soon as I got up the stairs, I saw that the little area was empty.

I looked around at the scattered video game cases and the remotes lying on the floor. They had just been here, and they must have left in a hurry. Jack always left the area clean when he and the other kids were leaving. I'm starting to get really worried.

I reached into my purse and took out my phone. I'm going to call him to find out what's going on.

…

"_Mom, it's okay. We're okay,"_ My son said over the phone. My grip on my phone slackened a bit when I heard him reassure me, but it didn't make me feel much better.

"Jack, where are you? Where is everyone? What is going on?" The mother in me had long since kicked in, and I had prepared a long list of questions for Jack to answer. I needed answers. My son wouldn't just disappear for any reason.

I continued to pace back and forth by the couch as my son spoke to me again. _"Mom, I know you're really worried, but I can't tell you anything over the phone."_

"Jack, I don't care about keeping a secret! I just want to know what's going on!" I said, getting frustrated with my son. All I wanted to know where my only son was. That was my _only_ focus right now.

"…_The baby's in big trouble, Mom,"_ Jack said. I instantly knew what he meant. Something happened to the baby. Optimus is in danger.

All of the frustration I felt melted away into concern, and I stopped pacing, standing in front of the TV. I noticed that Jack was being vague about telling me, in case someone tapped into the phone line. Because of that, I carefully chose my next words. "What happened to him?"

"_...Amber Alert."_ I gasped. Someone kidnapped the baby! How could this have even happened? Nothing made sense to me. I thought the Decepticons gave him back to the Autobots.

"How did this happen?"

"_Home invasion."_ Before I could even respond to him, my son spoke again.

"_Mom, you have to trust me. Miko and I are fine. We're with Jack and another one of the good guys. I don't know how long we'll be gone, but please don't call Fowler to come after us. That'll just make everything worse. Just stay at the house. I'll call you later. Love you. Bye."_

I took the phone from my ear and stared at it for a moment after the connection was cut. My son is out God knows where, doing God knows what to help find the baby. I'm really worried now. He said that he was with Wheeljack. That bot was known for doing things his way, and his way normally involved grenades. Jack said he was gone with Wheeljack and 'another one of the good guys'. He's with another bot, but he didn't say who. Plus, what my son told me didn't explain where all the other 'Bots were.

There's still a lot I don't know. I have to call Agent Fowler and tell him about this.

I was about to dial his number when something made me hesitate. Jack doesn't use that serious tone for just any reason...

When it comes to a little child, too many people involved really _can_ make everything worse. If I call Agent Fowler and tell him that Optimus was taken, the government will get involved. And I don't even think the US government knows that Optimus was turned into a baby.

If they find out that the Autobot leader is just a baby, they'll think that the Autobots can't handle the Decepticons. The government will probably take this situation the wrong way, and use military force in order to take down all the bots, regardless of the faction. Agent Fowler already told me that the Pentagon didn't trust the Autobots much to begin with. The end result after the military getting involved in the war would be disastrous. For everyone.

Now that I think about it, I don't really think that the Decepticons are much of a problem for the 'Bots. At least, not anymore. The Decepticon named Soundwave was the one who gave the baby back to the Autobots. Ratchet once told me that the Decepticon was Megatron's third-in-command and was extremely loyal to the warlord. I guess he isn't so loyal to Megatron to keep the baby. I get the feeling that he wanted to keep little Optimus out of danger when he gave the baby back to Ratchet. I can only wonder why Soundwave did that. All of the other Decepticons would have kept the baby.

Just by Soundwave's actions, I could tell that there was something different about the Decepticon, though I couldn't tell what. Maybe I would find out someday.

Still worried, I sat down on the couch and loosely wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling cold. If Jack's call doesn't come soon, I'm calling Agent Fowler to go get them. Until then, I'll wait here and hope that whoever took the baby will be brought to justice.

...Ratchet's POV...

I was still sore from the rough landing as I stood next to Bumblebee in the clearing. I should have known better than to transform so high in the air. My trajectory after applying too much thrust to my engines would have only resulted in a crash landing. Impact with the Earth was inevitable at the height I attempted to land from. The fall left me sore, as I said before, and with a dented wing, which Knockout corrected for me.

Wings are highly sensitive, I discovered. The information my wings were receiving from the cool, slightly damp environment around me was almost overwhelming; I could feel so many things at once.

Through my wings I could sense all of the others around me by picking up pulses from their electromagnetic fields. I could sense their EM fields before I changed my alternate mode, but now, because of the detail of the sensory data I was processing, I could practically _see_ the bots around me. If I were blind, I would have absolutely no problem identifying every bot in this clearing.

Right now, I could clearly sense Dreadwing near me. His EM field was strong, and even pulses passed over the circuit endings in my wings. The steady pulses were meant to send a sort of noble sensation to others around him, rather than to intimidate, contrary to Megatron's EM field. The warlord tended to emit sharp, powerful waves through his EM field, something that was, back on Cybertron, traditionally used to intimidate other bots nearby. The warlord's size and fearsome appearance only adds to the intimidation factor.

Each field was comparable to a finger print; it was different for every bot. From Bumblebee's quiet, soft pulses to Breakdown's strong, loud ones, the individual fields varied greatly.

I grunted in irritation again and shuddered, wings involuntarily flaring out as I felt Knockout run his servo over my wing to check for any more dents. The flow of data from the world around me was hard enough to control, the last thing I needed was someone actually_ touching_ my wing! I almost had a sensory _overload _when he did that!

"I agree with the interrogation, but I have a proposal to aid the operation," Dreadwing said, drawing everyone's attention to him. I attempted to suppress the continuous flow of data streaming into my processor and pay attention to what Dreadwing was about to say as Knockout walked around me, back over to Breakdown.

Megatron arched an optic ridge at the blue and gold Seeker. "And what proposal would that be?"

Dreadwing blinked before continuing. "Commander Starscream will automatically be suspicious of a seemingly random call to this location. "

"_What are you getting at?"_ Bumblebee asked, refocusing his optics. The blue and gold mech merely gestured towards me with a single servo, a slight smile on his faceplates.

"We can disguise this interrogation as a meeting with a new Decepticon Seeker." I gave the mech a very disapproving look, shifting my wings over the twin engines on my back. We may be working together, but virtually becoming a Decepticon...

I saw Knockout place a servo on his chin and nod from beside his blue friend. "I can see how that would work. You could certainly pass for a Seeker."

"This is meant to trap Screamer, right?" Bulkhead asked, looking at Dreadwing and me. The blue and gold Seeker nodded.

"You can cover this up with the fake meeting to corner Screamer without him even knowing," Bulkhead clarified, an almost devious smile lighting his faceplates. Breakdown and Bulkhead shared a look, and I could tell that the two former Wreckers had their own plans for Starscream.

Dreadwing nodded again, agreeing with the green mech. "Correct. Commander Starscream would attempt to flee once he realized what he was called here for. Cornering him will provide us a better opportunity to detain him if he flies away."

Bumblebee stepped forward, doorwings held high, pulling our attention to him. _"Ratchet can pass for Seeker, but he _really_ can't fly like one. That epic fall from the sky proved it."_ Before Dreadwing could respond, Bumblebee glanced over at me with a sheepish expression in his optics. _"Sorry, Ratchet."_

I only gave an irritated scoff in response. I know I can't fly well. There was nothing to be sorry about.

"I plan on addressing that as well. I wish to delay the interrogation so that I may briefly mentor him in basic flight techniques." I can see the logic in that. In case Starscream decides to flee, something that's extremely likely, the more flyers we have in the air after him, the better.

"Follow through with your plan, Dreadwing," Megatron said before turning to Knockout and Breakdown. Both of them straightened a bit when they noticed their leader looking at them. "You two will continue to search the area for the mech's vessel, while I contact my warship."

The red and blue Decepticons hesitated for a moment before nodding and transforming back into their vehicle forms to zoom back into the trees. As I watched them go, I took careful note of the lack of insults in Megatron's order. I said nothing about it, of course.

Megatron looked down at Bumblebee with one, piercing red optic. "I suggest you and your mech do the same." Bumblebee nodded and watched the taller mech transform, wincing slightly at the boom of Megatron's engines as he flew away.

Dreadwing and I, along with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, were left in the clearing. We looked around at each other for a brief moment, listening to the dry leaves of the forest around us rustling in the breeze. I felt a leave brush gingerly against my overly sensitive wings, making me shudder. Dreadwing was the only one who noticed.

"_Okay, Bulkhead. We have to keep searching,"_ Bumblebee said, thankfully breaking the silence. The younger mech walked towards me and placed a servo on my shoulder.

"_Good luck with the flight lessons."_ I smiled for the first time in a while, and looked on as Bumblebee walked back towards the treeline, with Bulkhead close behind. I heard the green mech complaining about working with the Decepticon warlord and how we Autobots didn't need their help and things of that nature.

I am well aware of the fact that the Wrecker doesn't like the idea of working with our sworn enemies, but at least the Wrecker isn't insubordinate, like his sword-wielding friend.

"Ratchet," Dreadwing said, and my wings twitched in response, having been pulled out of my thoughts. I looked at the blue and gold Seeker and saw the slight smile on his faceplates.

"Prepare for flight school. Lessons begin now."

...

I lay on my back, damp, black soil partially covering my face, wings causing me pain. The full moon made a halo of white light around Dreadwing's helm as he looked down disapprovingly at me.

"Now you know to not fly so close to the trees."

I just shut my optics and groaned, ventilating heavily. I had flown low, believing that it was safer. A particularly tall tree decided to prove me wrong in possibly the most humiliating method in the universe.

I was attempting a basic evasive maneuver that Dreadwing demonstrated for me when my left wing sheared off the top of the tree. Pain shot through my frame from my very sensitive wings, practically crippling me in the air. I am no stranger to pain, but I have never experienced pain as sharp and _thorough_ as this. The tender circuit endings in my wings fired off all at once, sending a barrage of pain signals to my processor. I remember seeing white stars dancing around, and static crowded my vision, rendering me virtually blind as I hurtled to the ground, unable to regain control of my alternate mode.

Now I understand why flyers and doorwinged Praxians complained so much while I tended to their damaged wings back on Cybertron. Pain is magnified in the wings because of their sensitivity.

I opened my optics to see Dreadwing's clawed servo being held out to me. Understanding what he meant, I grasped it and stood to my pedes.

Dreadwing surveyed my appearance with mild distaste as I reached up and brushed the dirt off my cockpit hood, faceplates and behind. I flared my wings and flapped most of the dirt off them, grumbling about the filth on my frame.

Once I was done cleaning, Dreadwing spoke from next to me. I growled inwardly, knowing what he was going to say.

"Again."

...Starscream's POV...

Those Vehicons are acting strangely.

Every time I walk by a group of them, I can feel all of them staring at me. I have yet to catch them actually staring at me, but the unnerving feeling I receive in my wings is enough.

But there are more significant things to worry about than some lowly Vehicons looking at me. I have yet to see any of the high ranking bots - on second thought, I see one bot of... _some_ significance.

I approached the small, red and blue Deployer standing on the left side of the dark hallway. The little bot was doing something with a miniscule datapad, staring hard into the glowing, red screen. I came to a stop, making sure that he knew that I was near him. I looked down at him and spoke, getting his full attention. "Rumble, where are the other officers?"

"Don't have a clue, Screamer." Rumble shrugged, never looking up from the datapad, nonchalantly scrolling down on the device with a single digit. I snarled at him when I heard the casual term he used to refer to me. This was the aggravating one of Soundwave's numerous Deployers. I wish he were less... _chatty_, like Ravage. That way he would be a little less annoying.

The Deployer turned halfway away from me, appearing ready to walk away before he stopped to say something over his shoulder. "Volk wanted to see you for somethin' in the command center. Said it was important."

I furrowed my optics ridges, watching the little Deployer walk away, still occupied with that datapad. What did that Vehicon want with me? No lowly Vehicon requests _my_ presence! I am second only to Megatron!

But... he wouldn't call for me unless it truly was important. After a moment of thought on my next course of action, I decided that I will go see what the highest ranking Vehicon officer wants. Just for the sake of curiosity.

...

On the way to the command center, I pondered the events of recent days. Not long ago did I receive a video feed from Faultline that he had the little cretin and the Autobot femme.

That little cretin should be dead by now. I'll contact Faultline later, to make sure that the sparkling has been terminated. I cannot have him alive; the little cretin was a threat to my position as second-in-command, something that I simply will not tolerate.

But, I am confident that Faultline has completed his job. From his record of previous jobs, I could see that he is a _very_ effective mech, if not an unsettling one.

...Soundwave's POV...

All I could think of was my little sparkling.

I paid no attention to where I was flying as I thought of my little child.

_Faultline... Faultline..._

My little child is _dead_ because of you. My sparkling... my innocent, fun-loving sparkling...

Wingspar was my life. I couldn't live without him. He reminded me so much of my beloved Halyard, my beloved sparkmate. He was virtually a clone of my sparkmate; I saw every bit of her in him. After I found Wingspar sitting dead in the lap of my equally dead neighbor in my residence, I was dead. I died, though my spark did not join with the AllSpark, as my little child had. For so many vorns, my spark was dead in my chest, and I lived for nothing but the Decepticon cause.

So many vorns passed before I had something true to live for.

It was Parvolus. It was the little, giggling sparkling that loved candy.

But now, the same monster that killed my sparkling has the little one. The same monster who forced himself on my neighbor, Clearout, and pierced her through the spark with a long blade. The same monster who murdered countless other bots and was never brought to justice.

I can't let him kill the little one. I cannot let that happen. Not again.

The little one will live, even if I die protecting him.

...

_Master?_

It took me a moment to register whose voice it was as I flew through a low, thick cloud. It was Ravage, one of my Deployers. He could sense my decidedly high stress levels and was concerned.

I acknowledged the cat through the link I shared with him, as well as my other Deployers. There was a slight delay in Ravage's response, as if he were carefully planning out what he was about to say.

_I felt your pain..._

Ravage sensing how I felt was nothing unusual. Because of the link we shared, I am able to sense him and vice versa. We are able to communicate telepathically, as well as emotionally. In this case, he was concerned because of what I was feeling at the moment.

The cat knows why I feel this way. He knows about my sparkmate; she was to one who named him. He knows about Faultline and that he killed my child. He was but a little cyberkitten when this happened. Nevertheless, he remembers it.

Ravage knows that I see Wingspar in Parvolus, and that I cannot allow Faultline to have his way again.

That does not make Ravage any less concerned.

I addressed the cybercat calmly, saying through the link that there was nothing to be concerned about, and to focus on the search for the little one, rather than myself. The little one's safety is top priority as of now.

I felt a wave of irritation and heard an annoyed growl from the cat, but he didn't protest. He merely confirmed my words and obeyed the order.

For now, I will conduct my own search for the little one, as well as the Autobot femme.

I know what Faultline does with femmes that he is holding hostage, and I do not want for yet another name to be added to his list of fembot victims.

...Starscream's POV: Three Hours Later...

I raised and lowered my left and right ailerons accordingly to bank left towards my destination (the clearing) in the light of the full moon. I am in a particularly pleasant mood right now, considering I have just been told that there is a new Decepticon on Earth. Other than Faultline, of course.

Volk notified me that Lord Megatron had gone to intercept the new mech, merely to ensure that the mech was who he identified himself as. Not only was the mech a Decepticon, but he was a Decepticon Seeker. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time now. Hopefully, the Seeker was among the many that were under my command back on Cybertron.

I suppose that it would be pressing my luck, but I could not help but wonder if this particular mech was one of my trinemates.

Of course, there is only one way to see who this new Seeker truly is.

The underside of my alt mode was perfectly parallel to the ground before I transformed. I made a relatively soft landing on the ground below and looked around at the trees in slight confusion.

There was no one in the clearing! Snarling, I inwardly reminded myself to skewer Volk for sending me to the wrong coordinates. How dare he do this to me! I am Commander Star-

I jumped upon hearing the roars of powerful engines above me. I lifted my wings back to their normal height and looked above the trees to see three forms flying towards me high above the trees. I recognized one immediately; it was Lord Megatron. The other two were human fighter jets.

Having a fighter jet alternate mode, I am sometimes inclined to research the humans' jets on their decidedly primitive data net while I'm off-duty, and have acquired knowledge of the planes. I discovered one solar cycle that I am a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. A fine plane, if I do say so myself. Due to my research, I could identify the other two fighter jets. One was very familiar blue and gold Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and the other was an unfamiliar, white and red Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet.

This unknown mech had a large alternate mode. From my estimates, I guessed that the mech was nine feet longer than Dreadwing's alternate mode, which was, from what I've seen on the Internet, fifty-one feet long. And now that the plane is slightly closer, I am certain that the Super Hornet is eleven feet longer than my Fighting Falcon, which is forty-nine feet long. This was a large plane, indeed.

I arched an optic ridge in curiosity at the sight of the Super Hornet drawing closer, alongside Dreadwing and Lord Megatron. This plane was large and had rather... _strange_ markings. The nose of the plane pitched down slightly as it came closer, allowing me to see the flats of the wings. There appeared to be a red lifeline on each wing. On the outward facing side of both vertical stabilizers of the plane were the same red lifelines. The marks looked unusually familiar, but I brushed it off as the senseless paranoia that had built up over the vorns.

Lord Megatron transformed first, landing hard on his pedes, sending a small tremor through the ground. The slight smile on his faceplates and the glow in his optics as he looked down at me was unsettling, but I paid no real attention to it.

Dreadwing was the second one to transform and land on his pedes, directly followed by the strange mech.

"Starscream, I would like for you to meet one of the Seekers that was under my command back on Cybertron," Dreadwing said, waving a clawed servo towards the strange mech as the pieces of the strange mech's frame shifted into place upon transforming back into bipedal form.

I said nothing for a moment, scrutinizing his appearance. The mech, unlike most Seekers, had a cockpit hood that cast a dark shadow over his blood red optics. His rather large wings were folded neatly on his back, much like a moth, and he lacked claws, something that was unusual for a Seeker. The mech was of a sturdy build, and was only a micron shorter than Dreadwing.

The strange Seeker's large, white and red trimmed wings remained pressed against his back as he gave me an almost icy look. I glowered back him in response, wings flaring to make my frame appear bigger. I don't know what his issue is, but he will soon learn that _I_ am in charge here.

Megatron placed a thick clawed servo on the Seeker's shoulder and narrowed his optics, grinning at me, baring his shark-like denta. "Now is that any way to welcome a fellow Seeker, Starscream?"

I looked at him in shock, but quickly guarded my expression. Of course he was defending the new Seeker. This was merely an attempt to spite me. An attempt that won't be acknowledged. Not in the least.

I dug one of my heels in the dirt below me in frustration, wings stiff, and answered him. "Of… Of course, my lord. How… _inappropriate_ of me."

Megatron seemed to be satisfied with that response, and he took his servo off the mech's shoulder. The new Seeker retained his icy stare as Megatron removed his servo. The strange mech merely looked at me with blood red optics and said, "Name's Fallstreak." I noted his Vosian accent.

I looked the mech over again, suspicious. There was something off about him… though I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly.

"Before we go to the _Nemesis _to address your rank among us and proper accommodations, Dreadwing and I must endeavor on a little... _errand_," Megatron said, clasping his servos behind his back and looking down at the new Seeker. "Our communications officer is in the area, and I wish to introduce him to you, but I have yet to get in contact with him. You and Starscream shall remain here while we retrieve him."

I instantly grew nervous, optics flitting between Megatron and the new Seeker. Megatron is only polite when he knows something critical that I don't. But the question was 'what'. The fact that I was ignorant of this 'knowledge' did not sit well with me.

Of course, I could never let that show.

"We will wait until you return, Lord Megatron," I said, bowing my helm slightly.

Soon enough, we heard Megatron and Dreadwing's booming engines as they flew off, and I stood alone in this clearing with this strange Seeker.

As we stood there, I noticed that the mech had a long, shiny black scar over his right optic out of the corner of my own optic. The mark evoked a strange feeling within me, as if I recognized it.

I rolled my optics at the notion of recognizing the scar in his face. After all, I had never seen this mech before.

There was a tense silence between us for a moment before I decided to break it. This mech had a very icy demeanor, but I concluded that it would get us Decepticons nowhere in our conflict with the Autobots if there is more tension among us.

Plus, this mech could prove to be a valuable ally. For myself, obviously. I was a legendary commander of an army of elite Seekers back on Cybertron. Seekers all over Cybertron envied those that were under my command. Because of this, this mech is more inclined to seize the opportunity assist me in my plots to overthrow Megatron and rule the Decepticons.

The corner of my mouth twitched, resisting the urge to grin deviously. It's as if Primus handed me a gift from the AllSpark.

"Fallstreak," I said, turning partially to gaze at the white and red Seeker. The first step to securing this mech as an ally is getting to know him personally. "I can tell from your accent that you are indeed a former denizen of Vos, just as I am."

Fallstreak blinked and nodded slightly, the dark shadow over his optics from his cockpit hood growing even darker. "Yessir."

I smiled even more, turning to fully face the white and red Seeker. It is pleasing to see that he wasn't annoyingly talkative, like Rumble or Skywarp. "Tell me, what is your story?"

He looked at me for a long moment, and I had begun to think that he would answer me when he spoke again.

"I was born into a high caste, the medical caste, training as a medic." Fallstreak said. I could have sworn that I heard slight stress on the word 'medic', but I quickly shot down the thought. It was obviously because of his accent. I, of all bots, should know this, being a Vosian myself.

It was good that this mech was a medic, as well as a Seeker. It would be more advantageous to have a mech with medical and combat training on my side.

I nodded, patiently waiting for the mech to continue. Fallstreak seemed to burn me with his icy stare, but I shook off the feeling and listened to what he had to say. "I also had a son, but he was taken from me."

My wing twitched in disinterest (I couldn't care less about this mech's issues), but I nodded again, this time with feigned sympathy. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

The white and red mech gave me an incredibly cold look; I could practically feel the frost emanating from him. "_Lies._"

"What makes you assume that?" I couldn't keep the slight nervous edge in my voice. I have never met this mech before and he seems to have something against me.

"I trained as a medic and graduated at the top of the academy, I studied under the best instructors, learning about every micron the Cybertronian frame. All I have to do is _breathe _to know what you are truly feeling."

I am thoroughly disconcerted now. This mech can somehow sense what is going on in my body with nothing but an _air sample!_ All I could do in response to that eerie statement was take a small step away from the mech. Fallstreak closed that distance as soon as I moved.

"My son was taken from me, not once, but twice, and I was very upset. In fact, I still am upset." I fought hard to remain in control of my own frame's reactions, but nervousness started to transform into fear, and my frame had begun to show it. My wings lowered almost completely and I took another, longer stride back. Fallstreak's icy calm tone was extremely unsettling.

"I don't know where my son is right now..." I couldn't look away from the mech's blood red optics as he spoke to me in that unnervingly calm voice. The red glow seemed to make the long scar over his right optic shine a darker red, making his appearance all the more intimidating.

Then his tone grew almost conversational.

"You know, last time was just blind anger. So here's the deal - you talk and you don't have to find out what happens when I'm angry and in my right mind. And Primus forbid should you choose otherwise."

I froze.

Suddenly, I started to shake in fright and my spark seemed to stop as everything fell into place.

Before my optics I saw the Autobot medic sprinting towards me faster than I could react. I felt the pain in my faceplates and tasted my own energon. I felt myself being seized by the neck and hurled through a tree. I could feel myself attempting to fly away when I was hit hard in the back. Weight pressed down on me as I screamed, feeling my wing being sliced off. My arm swung, slicing through my attacker's faceplates, over his right optic. I heard my attacker's enraged roar in pain. My stomach plating was seared as a high flame came down on me.

I saw the rage in those blood red optics.

Fallstreak was Ratchet, the Autobot medic. Ratchet was the little cretin's father.

And he knew _everything_ about what I had done.

All of this occurred in my mind in a fraction of a nanoklik, and I concluded I needed to make a very important decision. I need to decide between 'fight' and 'flight'.

It was no longer a wise idea to remain here, next to the father of the thing I tried to kill.

I chose flight.

...Ratchet's POV...

I stared up in the sky, my red optics gleaming dangerously, watching the cowardly mech attempt to escape my wrath. In no mood for games, I transformed, murmuring to myself.

"Otherwise it is, then."

...Breakdown's POV...

"I think Screamer's got the idea now!" I laughed as I stood next to Knockout watching Starscream fly away. My red friend looked at me sarcastically.

"_Nooo_, you think?" Before I could respond, both of us were shushed by someone beside us. Both of us glared over at the mech who did it. He didn't pay us any attention.

"I'm trying to watch the show!" Bulkhead whispered from by his friend, Bumblebee, as he stared straight ahead, into the clearing. All of us were sent in different directions by Lord Megatron and Bumblebee, but once we saw that the show was about to start, we all whipped it around and came right back to the clearing. Now we all are standing here, just beyond the treeline so we won't be spotted.

I was kind of upset I didn't get to twist Starscream into a pretzel, but guess this'll have to do. Now that I think about it, I'm a bit more excited about this one. I heard around the warship (mostly from Shank) that Starscream got his aft handed to him on a silver platter by the Autobot medic. And that was when the medic was still an ambulance. Primus knows what Ratchet will do now that he can chase after Starscream.

If I were human, I'd be passing around a big bowl of popcorn with extra butter.

"Hold on, hold on! Look, you guys!" Bulkhead pointed, and we all looked in that direction. Starscream had flown off, faster than I had ever seen him go. I'm on the ground and I could hear the Seeker's engines working hard loud and clear all the way up there.

I'm glad we ran out of the trees and into the clearing. We wouldn't have been able to see what Ratchet was about to do next if we hadn't.

My jaw hit the dirt when I saw what he did.

Ratchet ran forward a few steps, leaped into the air and transformed. Next thing I know, his jet mode was zooming right after Starscream. His powerful engines fired off again, adding even more thrust, and he quickly closed the distance between himself and Starscream. The nose of Ratchet's alt mode pitched slightly upward when he raised his elevators, and he kept going faster and going up until he was right above Starscream's alt mode.

I know Starscream saw him, since he tried barrel rolling to the right. Ratchet flew like a pro, and mimicked his exact movement, still right on top of him.

Starscream tried to barrel roll to the left and spiral upwards to get away from him. The Autobot had to known he was going to do that, because he slowed slightly while Starscream was rolling and starting going up, still on Starscream's tail.

Then, the medic started to get closer to Starscream's alt mode. So close, I could have sworn the underside of Ratchet's alt mode was touching Starscream's cockpit. It looks like it would be dangerous for the grey Seeker to do anything other than fly straight. If he does, he might clip Ratchet's wing and fall out the sky. I can't imagine what Ratchet plans on doing now. And from the looks on the others' faces, I could tell they didn't know, either.

Ratchet looks so much bigger than Starscream from here. No wonder Ratchet's wings looked so huge. Must be scary for the grey Seeker to be chased by somebot with an alt mode bigger than Dreadwing's.

Suddenly, Ratchet transformed high in the air with his wings still open so he could keep flying. The twin engines on his back were like a powerful jetpack, and he had no problem keeping up with Starscream.

Ratchet's body swung forward, and with a loud grunt, the Autobot Seeker brought one leg down hard on Starscream, heel first. All of us standing here in the clearing winced when we heard his foot connecting with Starscream's body. That's gonna leave a huge dent.

We all watched with the same shocked look on our faces as Starscream spiraled down to the ground off in the distance. I could see the huge dent in his alt mode from here. Must be real painful. Not that I care much. That guy deserves it.

Ratchet hovered there for a nanoklik, and then he flew down like a white missile. Once he got close, he grabbed Starscream by his rudder with both servos and fired off his thrusters towards the ground to get back upright. The medic started to spin around in circles with him, getting faster and faster. It was almost getting a little too fast for me to track when the Autobot suddenly let go, sending Starscream back towards the clearing. The same clearing the four of us were standing in.

Bumblebee stared up at Starscream falling fast towards us and said, _"We should move."_

Knockout nodded, still watching Starscream. "That would be a good idea right about now."

We all high-tailed it back into the trees. Just in time, too; Starscream made a big crater in the ground, right where we were standing. And Ratchet nearly landed right on top of him after cutting off the engines on his back and falling to the ground.

Well, we moved for two reasons: one, to get the frag out of the way, and two, so we don't have to face a pissed off Ratchet. Mostly number two.

None of us wanted to fight a pissed medic _and_ father.

...Wheeljack's POV...

I was getting real annoyed.

I've been following this dog for hours and we haven't gotten anywhere. I'm starting to wonder if she even knows what she's doing.

"We've been out here for a while now." Jack said from on the dog's back. He was sitting on the dog's shoulders, with the other human sitting right behind him.

I tossed my grenade up in the air as I walked behind the dog, who was busy sniffing at the ground.

We got sent here by those two 'Cons. They said that the little kid should be somewhere in this area. They didn't say that we had to search through all these trees. I can hardly see out here.

Maybe I should burn the whole forest down. That'll really clear the way.

"Wheeljack! We can't do that!" Jack exclaimed with this horrified look on his face. Miko looked back at me and rolled her eyes at Jack's reaction to what I apparently said. I casually shrugged as I walked behind the dog.

"Sorry, kid. Must've been thinking out loud," I said. I was getting a bit frustrated, that's all.

Suddenly, the cyberdog's head shot up from the ground, ears perked. I stopped in my tracks, looking ahead at the dark trees in front of me. Something's up, but I don't know what. Dogs don't do that for any reason.

"You two, get off her back and get behind me," I told the kids as I pulled my swords out of their sheathes on my back. They saw my battle stance and didn't argue as they climbed off the dog's back and ran behind me.

The cyberdog's hackle plating rose and she started growling loudly at a patch of thick bushes. Her golden optics burned bright as she bared all her sharp teeth and started to bark furiously.

"Come out and I won't sic the dog on ya," I said as the kids ran behind me. I glared at the bush Halli was growling and barking at. The plant had started to move around on its own, and I could tell that whatever was in that bush was bigger than a squirrel. Much bigger.

I edged around the dog and towards the bush, swords pointed towards it. As I got closer I could see a pair of bright red lights from inside the bush. It had to be a pair of optics; there's no firefly that can turn red like that.

"I told you, I'll sic the dog on you if you don't come out now," I threatened. Halli started growling even louder after I said that. That dog isn't playing. I hope that whatever Decepticon is in that bush makes the smart choice and comes out. I've been bitten by an angry dog before. It ain't fun.

The bush stopped moving for a second before a dark figure leaped out of the bush, carrying with it a lot of leaves. I tensed as the figure with bright red eyes landed on all fours and started to growl too, but it wasn't as intimidating as the dog.

Miko peeked out from behind me. "I didn't know the Decepticons had a cat!"

"Yeah, they have a cat alright. One of Soundwave's Deployers, named Ravage." I didn't take my optics off the cybercat as I talked to the kids. "Wonder what he's doing out here."

The cat was paying me no attention, just focusing completely on the cyberdog. Both of them were growling and hissing, looked pretty much ready to duke it out with each other.

Ravage had his ears flattened against his head and he had his back arched, the black plating on his back rising. The cat wasn't fully facing the dog; he had sort of turned off to the side and glared hard at the dog, with one paw a bit off the ground. Those claws are all the way out, and look real dangerous.

That cat's tail was whipping around hard as his optics narrowed to thin slits, and he started hissing even more, along with the spitting. The dog glared right back and didn't back down. I kept my swords out and ready, in case I had to fight off an angry cybercat.

I don't even have to look down to tell that this Mexican standoff is making the kids nervous.

Halli took one step towards Ravage, and the cat's paw shot out like a black blur, nearly going over Halli's optic. The cyberdog jumped out of the way just in time, baring all her teeth. That move of Ravage's only pissed her off. Now she looks ready to maul the Decepticon cat. And I'm not sure I could stop her, even if I wanted to.

Suddenly, I heard the loud roar of engines (I think I heard two different sets) zoom by overhead. I instantly looked up, only to see moonlight poking through the leafy branches above my helm.

"What is that?" Miko asked Jack. I can hear the fear she's trying to hide in her voice. The older human stayed calm, though I think it was only for Miko's sake.

"Sounds like jet engines-" Right then, I heard what I knew was someone transforming somewhere above us and a real loud clang, like somebot had been kicked in the grill.

I continued to look up at the black tree branches and leaves, wondering what in the Pit that was.

About four or five seconds passed before all of us felt two tremors in the ground as we heard two loud booms, one right after the other. I heard trees falling and birds squawking and flying away. Two things must've hit the ground off to the east. Two heavy things.

Before I could say to the kids that we were staying away from whatever the frag was going on in the east, I heard more jet engines in the sky, off in the distance. I crouched slightly lower to the ground; that sound was coming towards us this time, rather than past us. And this one was a whole lot slagging closer than those other two.

The cat and the dog stopped growling at each other after all the noise above us, but I bet they're still glaring.

I looked around as it got quiet again. I'm not letting my guard down, though. I'm edgy already since I can't see very far. Primus knows what else is going to jump out at us.

I heard the sound of metal shifting around again, and I knew that it was some bot transforming. Only this time it was directly above the branches we were standing under. I saw the light coming through the branches being blocked by something, and the shadow from above the trees got bigger, fast.

My grip on the hilts of my twin swords tightened as I stepped back slightly, standing directly over the kids. If anything falls out the sky, it'll land on me. I know I can handle it, whatever it was, but I'm sure the kids can't.

I braced myself as the branches above us started to do a lot of moving around. Dry leaves started to fall and land on my helm and the ground as the growling from the two territorial animals stopped completely. I heard Miko wonder out loud what was going on, and I heard Jack trying to keep Miko calm. I resisted the urge to grab my grenade and toss it at the sound. I know this sound is a threat, but I can't burn this forest down. The place would get a lot of tourists if I did that.

The branches all of the sudden fell in between me and the two animals. The cybercat and dog both leaped out of the way. I couldn't move that fast, so I decided to crouch and lean over the kids to keep them from getting hit by all the stuff falling from the sky.

Falling branches banged against my frame, and I kept my helm down to protect my optics as I used my frame to cover the kids. I engaged my battle mask when I heard something heavier than tree limbs fall to the ground.

I looked up to see a dark figure with bluish-purple lighted seams along its body standing silently. The figure shifted its pede and snapped a thin tree limb in half to get better footing. I saw the figure's long fingers twitch. I smirked.

"So, Soundwave came to rescue his kitty-cat, huh?" I said as I gestured towards Ravage with one of my swords.

Soundwave stood there, silent, as usual. He must have sensed that something was up with Ravage when his cat was facing off with our dog. Bots with Deployers have a certain bond, letting them communicate and feel what the other is feeling, kind of like a sparkbond, only for pets. I discovered that after I faced Blackout with his Deployer, Scorponok, once with the other Wreckers back on Cybertron. If you are facing those two together, you might as well hang it up and go home. The same goes for Soundwave and Ravage, as well as the creep's other Deployers.

The kids both moved behind me, so I was between them and Soundwave. I jerked my helm back toward the trees behind me. "You two get behind the trees; this could get ugly."

As much as I usually love a fight, I know that I won't be able to do it real well here. The trees are too close together and I won't be able to land a good blow with my swords. The last time I fought him, I was in a wide open space and could hardly get my swords close enough to scratch his finish.

I braced myself and charged Soundwave, getting ready to swing my blades. Those two Vehicons said that the 'Cons were all out working with the Autobots, but that doesn't mean this isn't a trap to kill the rest of us. They might have already got to Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Ratchet, and are coming for us.

The only thing Soundwave moved was one of his tentacles, which whipped out and struck my servo, making me let go of my sword. The same tentacle grabbed the hilt of my sword before it hit the ground and transferred it to Soundwave's servo. I ignored the pain building up in my servo.

I frowned and put both servos around the hilt of the sword I had left. I see how it is. He's trying to disarm me so he can take me out. Well, I'm not gonna let that happen.

Everyone silently watched Soundwave as he held my sword in his servo at his hip. It was getting real tense here; even the dog can tell.

The silent mech tilted his helm and looked down at the sword through his black mask before lifting it, like he was going to go on the offensive with my weapon. I took a tiny step back, just so I won't get hit if he decides to swing.

Soundwave quickly flipped the sword in his servo, so the tip was pointing towards the ground. I stayed where I was, but wondered what the heck he was doing.

He extended his servo, the one that had the sword, and stood there, staring at me. I still didn't move, mostly because I couldn't figure out what he was doing.

"Wheeljack, I think he wants to give you to take your sword back," I heard Jack say from behind me. I didn't say anything to the kid, but I considered what he said.

Why would he want to give me my sword back? It might be a chance to get close and stab me with it...

My optics darted over to Halli, who had turned her back on Ravage and padded over to Soundwave's side. She looked up at Soundwave and sat down on her haunches, then turned her head to look at me with bright, golden optics.

This reminds me of when she was all friendly with that Vehicon that helped get us out here. She isn't nice to just anybody. I don't trust Decepticons, but I do trust Halli's instincts. If she thinks he's fine, then he must be fine.

I kept the sword I had left in my servos as I stepped forward cautiously, watching the silent mech. Soundwave didn't move, still waiting on me to go ahead and take the sword from him. I freed one of my servos and reached towards the hilt of the sword. Soundwave still didn't move. I grabbed the top of the hilt, my servo just barely touching his. He slowly let go, and I adjusted my grip on the hilt.

Well, he's legit.

Ravage still looked pissed as he walked over to his master's side, opposite of Halli. His ears were still flattened against his helm as he eyed Halli and started to snarl again. This time Halli completely ignored him and kept staring at me, only making him even angrier.

Soundwave looked down sharply at the cat, like he was telling him to stop acting up, and Ravage started to quiet down. It's probably that bond they shared that Soundwave used to shut his cat up.

I looked at the silent mech, and he looked at me at the same time. "You out here looking for the kid?"

He nodded once just as the kids came to stand beside my ankles. Miko had a curious look on her face as she stared up at Soundwave, while Jack just looked nervous. I glanced down at the boy and saw that he still had the kid's stuffed tiger in his hand.

"So we're out here for the same reason. Where's the other 'Bots? I heard they were out here." I looked at him as he nodded again, the moonlight making the shadows over his mask darker. I decided to put my swords back into their sheathes on my back. He's responding to me, so I guess we won't have any problems from him.

"Been having any luck finding the guy who took Arcee and the kid?" I asked. Soundwave didn't move, and just kept staring at me. I put a servo on my hip.

"I'll take that as a 'no'."

"Maybe we can do what we were doing with Halli again," Jack said from by my left ankle, making everyone look at him. Well, everyone besides the dog and cat, who had gotten to staring at each other again.

"Maybe we can have both Halli and Ravage tracking Optimus's scent." Soundwave nodded once, agreeing with what Jack suggested. Miko nodded, saying that it was a really good idea. I agree with her and Jack. Ravage and Halli know how to track scents better than the rest of us.

Jack held the stuffed tiger up to Halli once she stepped forward. Instead of sniffing it, she gently took it in her teeth from Jack and turned, moving towards Ravage. I guess Halli didn't want Jack to get close to Ravage, so she took it to Ravage herself to protect him. The cat moved back a bit from Halli, but soon realized what she was doing.

Ravage leaned forward and sniffed the stuffed tiger that was dangling from Halli's jaws. His optics narrowed into thin red slits, glaring at Halli once he was done and had the kid's scent. Halli ignored him again, and turned to give the stuffed animal back to Jack.

Soon enough, we were following Ravage and Halli through the woods. Both of them were near each other, heading in the same direction since they caught the same scent trail. Soundwave chose to stay on the ground with us and was walking alongside me. Jack and Miko are riding on Halli's back again, so they can keep up with us.

I looked over at Soundwave, only moving my optics. "Guess we have our own search team."

He didn't say anything and kept looking forward. I don't like uncomfortable silences, so I'm gonna keep trying. "Do you know what all the racket was before you showed up?"

He didn't say anything, as usual, but turned and looked at me as we walked. There was static on his mask for a second before it flashed and displayed a clearing somewhere in the area in bird's eye view. He must've accessed Laserbeak's surveillance system.

I saw on his mask two bots in the clearing. One was without a doubt, Starscream. I could recognize those wings anywhere. The other bot I didn't know, but I could tell that he was a white and red Seeker. The new Seeker was pinning Starscream to a tree, and saying something to him, though I could understand him. Starscream looked terrified.

So that's what all that noise was. This new Seeker was giving Starscream a beat down.

Soundwave's mask turned black, and I asking him another question. "Who's that new Seeker?"

His mask turned on again, and showed a picture of Ratchet! Nah, that can't be right. Ratchet doesn't fly; he's a grounder. There's no way that flyer is the old mech.

The creepy mech next to me must have known that I didn't believe him, 'cause the picture on Soundwave's mask changed and showed a bird's eye view video of Ratchet scanning something high in the sky. I raised my optic ridges as I watched him change into a fighter jet and take off from the clearing he was standing in.

Wow. I wonder what made Sunshine do that.

"Hey, you guys. I think I see something!" Miko shouted back at the two of us. Soundwave's, along with mine, helm snapped around to look at the human riding Halli's back.

The dog and cat had stopped walking and crouched behind some thick bushes. They both were staring at something, though I couldn't see what. I could see a light coming from whatever was ahead of us, and it wasn't moonlight. Last time I checked, moonlight isn't red.

I moved closer to the trees near me, in case I needed some cover close by. I don't know what the Pit is out there, and that's reason enough for me to need some cover.

Soundwave just kept walking and moved the bush aside that the dog and cat was crouching in front of. More of that red light came in around Soundwave's frame, and I saw Jack move his arm to shield his eyes. Halli's tail started wagging like mad and Miko gasped as she looked past Soundwave.

"Is that a ship?"

...Ratchet's POV...

I was calm.

I was calmer than I had been in vorns.

In fact, I was _deadly_ calm.

Dreadwing and Megatron came back and were standing a little off to the side, watching me speak with Starscream. Megatron was very smiley right now.

"I-I have no idea what you're t-t-talking about!" Starscream nearly whimpered, optics open wide. I sighed and smiled at him, though it wasn't a pleasant smile.

"I know you know where my son is. Don't lie to me." I adjusted my grip on Starscream's chestplates and pressed him against the tree I had pinned him to until his plating groaned under the stress. I could hear Starscream grinding his denta in a vain attempt to handle the stress.

I leaned in to him, so close that my lips were next to his audio receptor. I growled, "Listen, you fragger, my son is gone, and I think you know something. So you _will_ talk. Or I will rip out your core processor and extract the information _personally_."

The look of pure fear and horror flooded his optics as I leaned back. "You can't do that!" he screeched.

I blinked slowly and let him go, letting him sink back down to the ground. Off in the distance I heard Megatron call out to someone, saying that it's safe to come out. In the corner of my optic, I saw Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Knockout and Breakdown all come out of the woods. They were whispering among themselves as they came to stand near Dreadwing and Megatron, looking at Starscream and me. I heard Bulkhead and Breakdown agree with each other that they wanted to beat the slag out of Starscream for me. Knockout and Dreadwing were speaking with each other about something that I didn't care to pay any attention to. Bumblebee just had his arms folded over his chest as he stood next to Megatron, unintentionally mimicking the warlord.

I ignored all of them. My attention is focused on this Seeker.

Starscream didn't dare run as I shifted my servo into a syringe. I flared my wings, making myself appear larger and cast a shadow over Starscream. I stepped forward and crouched, pressing the tip of the incredibly sharp, long needle against his exposed neck cables. He tried to lean back and push my servo away, but the tree he was leaning against didn't allow him to get farther away and I grabbed his arm with my free hand.

"You see, this fluid here can put your processor in shutdown, but you will still feel pain while you are asleep. And while I extract your processor, I can manipulate it so that all you pain receptors fire off at the exact same time, magnifying the excruciation one hundred fold, if I so choose."

Starscream shivered hard, unable to look away from my blood red optics. His wings flattened against his back out of pure terror. I gave him a toothy grin and narrowed my blood red optics.

"Actually, I have a number of choices. I can give you no sedatives at all and put slits into your cranial chamber in order to make peeling your plating back much easier. But before I did that I'd have to sever your protoform cord. I can't have you squirming while I work."

I could tell that the grey Seeker was paralyzed with fear, not that it mattered to me. He took my son from me, and he deserves to suffer my wrath.

I suddenly stomped a pede and flared my wings, making him jolt and shrink back. "Or maybe I could ask for Knockout to assist me in dripping acid into your joints and on your sensitive wings. As a trained medic, I know that acid damage to the joints will never heal. It will remain painful for the rest of your existence. And as a Seeker, I know that wings are unbelievably sensitive. Millions upon millions of circuit endings... I wonder how they would stand up to an acid burn.

"Or I could manipulate your processor so that your nervous system attacks your frame, and kills you slowly from the inside out... No, I could go for your sensitive optics-" Suddenly, Starscream snapped, just as I thought he would, screeching almost at the top of his ventilation system.

"Alright, alright! I know where his ship is. It's fifty miles northwest of here, hidden among the trees. Just don't hurt me!" His voice raised an octave as he used his free servo to shield his optics. The tremor of fear in his frame was obvious.

"Good. I told you that you will talk." Starscream flinched when I flashed him a smile. With that, I shifted my syringe back into my servo and transformed, firing off my twin engines. I flew away, leaving all of them behind in the clearing. I'm heading northwest, to Faultline's ship.

I will find my son.

...Megatron's POV...

I must admit that that was immensely entertaining!

Dreadwing and I arrived back to the clearing in time for the show. We told Starscream that we were going to search for my third-in-command, but the two of us merely circled back around. I didn't bother looking for Soundwave. He's more than likely conducting his own search with his Deployers. Right now, I'm particularly pleased that Dreadwing and I returned to the clearing.

The six of us stood there watching the Autobot medic menace Starscream. Because he was a medic, I would say that his threats were even more effective than mine. I'm a gladiator; I don't know the particulars of the Cybertronian frame as well as a medic with many vorns worth of knowledge and experience. I opt to slowly tear the mech I am angry with limb from limb or blast them to smithereens with my fusion cannon, whereas a medic can quite literally get under your plating.

Starscream didn't even last the threats. I'm mildly disappointed that I didn't get the opportunity to see any energon, but I believe that seeing a novice flyer knock Starscream, Air Commander of the Energon Seekers (Among the best Seekers in the air, might I add.), clear out of the sky compensates quite well. The medic was able to chase Starscream as easily as a cybercat pouncing on a glitch-mouse, and maneuver in the air with skill that was far beyond his level. Transforming in midair was a phenomenal feat, considering this is his first day of flight.

I should offer that mech a job. We need more mechs like that.

"Decepticons," I said, silencing the hushed chatter. I pointed in the direction the white and red plane was going with a single thick claw. "Follow the Autobot. Starscream told him exactly where Faultline's ship is hidden."

They were about to leave when I said, "Except Breakdown. You are to remain here and keep an optic on Starscream, in case he decides to attempt to flee." Breakdown sagged slightly, but I ignored him.

I watched Dreadwing fly off and Knockout speed away, northwest, just as the Autobot medic was. Once they departed I looked down at Bumblebee and spoke to him, drawing his attention.

"You and your mech should do the same." I blinked as the young mech nodded and transformed, followed by the green one, heading the same direction Knockout went.

I turned around and saw Breakdown walking towards Starscream, shoulder mounted cannon armed and ready to fire. Starscream looked even more pitiful than he normally does; dents and dirt covered his frame, and I saw some obvious cracks in the glass of his cockpit on his back as he slumped over.

I steadily walked towards him, listening to the moans of my second-in-command. As I drew closer I could see that the Seeker was grinning slightly, most likely glad to be online.

"Don't think you're off the hook, Commander Starscream. You're gonna have to deal with the consequences once this is all over," Breakdown said nonchalantly, making Starscream wipe the smile off his faceplates. I grinned at Starscream.

I could not have said it better myself.

I told Breakdown to do everything in his power to keep Starscream in this very spot, so long as he remains alive. It would do me no good to later beat the slag out of a corpse - there would be no fun in it.

But now, I suppose I should head towards that mercenary's vessel. There would be no point in me wasting time standing here.

...Arcee's POV...

I talked to 'Lackluster' a few moments ago. I had knocked on the door just as she was going by. The purple, black visored femme was carrying a tray with an energon cube sitting on top. I knew it wasn't for me; she brought me mine an hour ago. She's probably taking it to Faultline.

After she came inside the room was I trapped in, I asked her why she didn't run away when I knew she could. I had noticed that there was nothing stopping her from leaving. There was no shock collar, or anything.

At first she didn't say anything at all. She merely looked at me through her black visor. I could tell without looking at her optics that she had an incredibly sad look on her face. I have never seen someone look so sad and hopeless before.

I thought she wasn't going to answer when she spoke in a very tiny voice with an accent that had to be Velocitronian.

"My carrier and younger brother were killed. I have no one now. Where would I go?" Before I could tell her that could join the Autobots, she rolled backwards and skated out the room on her wheel-pedes, still carrying that tray.

Faultline killed her family and trapped her here for Primus knows how long. She's been here so long she's lost all hope of help coming.

Hopefully, the 'Bots will come and get all three of us away from Faultline.

...Optimus's POV...

The warmth I was being enveloped in suddenly disappeared when the door opened. I squinted at the intensely bright light and my gears locked in fear. Tears streamed down my faceplates as I looked at the light.

I saw a slender, black silhouette standing in the doorway. The figure moved smoothly into the room, making me shrink back into the darkest shadows of the death room. I whimpered when my frame bumped against a pile of balled servos, making them scatter over the floor loudly.

The figure moved even closer to me, and childish fear compelled me to move even further into the shadows. I wished to have nothing to do with this bot, whoever it was.

The black figure crouched and placed something down on the floor, turned and quickly left. As they exited the room, the light illuminated their pedes. I saw that this bot was skating away, on wheels in place of pedes.

The door closed and I was left alone in the dark. The warmth instantly returned, and I was lifted off the ground.

I looked up and smiled to see Cliffjumper's serene faceplates again. This time the mech was sitting on the floor, holding me close to his warm chassis.

Suddenly, I saw something being held close to my faceplates. I looked at it to see that it was an energon cube. I could feel the warmth radiating from the cube and I could smell the sweet scent of the fuel inside.

Feeling my tank rumble, I instinctively grabbed the sides of the cube and put my mouth on the tip of the cube. Cliffjumper smiled down at me as he tilted the cube, allowing me to drink a steady stream of energon. My tank was already beginning to feel much warmer as I refueled. I shuttered my optics and allowed the warmth from the red spirit heat my faceplates.

As I drank the warmed energon, I realized that the cube was the object that the strange bot placed on the floor in this death room.

I know it was not the strange mech who took me from my family and I know it was not Arcee, for she does not have wheels in place of pedes.

I honestly believed that I would starve in this death room, just as my light orange friend most likely did. I can only wonder who the kindly bot was that left the energon cube for me as I nestled into the warmth of Cliffjumper's chassis.

**And done! *wipes brow* that was REALLY long. **

**The Rumble I used here is War for Cybertron Rumble. The red and blue Deployer knows all about the plot Starscream set up to kill Optimus (he kept in contact with Soundwave). He's only on the warship to help keep things under control. **

**I want to thank WingedWolfAlari for helping me with this long chapter. I greatly appreciate it! :) Speaking of her, she made her own depiction of Seeker Ratchet on DeviantArt called Father's Duty. It is awesome; you should really check it out. Also, she did a wonderful picture of Soundwave and sparkling Optimus called 'Studying Till Midnight'. She also drew her depiction of Halli, called 'A Study of Loyalty'. She goes by the same name there as she does here. **

**There are two quotes that Alari suggested I use, and I did, and they are:  
"**Listen you fragger, my son is gone, and I think you know something. So you _will_ talk. Or I will rip out your core processor and extract the information _personally_."  
"You know, last time was just blind anger. So here's the deal - you talk and you don't have to find out what happens when I'm angry and in my right mind. And Primus forbid should you choose otherwise."

**Both of the above quotes are from Beast Wars, and are, in my opinion, very fitting for the situation I used them in. **

**In the next chapter, Soundwave will confront Faultline. **

**Well, we learned a bit about 'Lackluster' today. And Starscream cracked pretty fast.**

**Ms. Darby's POV, the first segment of Ratchet's POV, Soundwave's POV all take place at the same time. Wheeljack's POV takes place at the same time when Ratchet kicks Starscream out the sky. Arcee's and Optimus's POVs take place while the search for them is going on.**

**Update: There appears to be some confusion about who Faultline killed. Halyard, Soundwave's sparkmate, was not killed by the mech; she died of Cosmic Rust, leaving Soundwave to raise their child on his own. The femme found dead with Wingspar is Clearout, Soundwave's neighbor and friend from back in the south side of Tagan Heights. Clearout was killed by Faultline. **

**Till next time! :)**

**P.S. What do you think Soundwave will do when he confronts Faultline?**


	19. Faces

**I am currently learning how to drive. It is terrifying knowing I have to control a one and a half ton vehicle that could just as easily kill someone. It doesn't help that I keep thinking it's going to transform on me. **

**Anyway, this starts in Arcee's POV and goes from there. **

**To give a very brief recap on the previous (and lengthy) chapter, Ratchet, having scanned a Super Hornet fighter jet, received flight lessons from Dreadwing and went undercover as a Decepticon Seeker named Fallstreak. 'Fallstreak' interrogated Starscream, and wrung the truth regarding the location of Faultline's ship out of him. Meanwhile, Wheeljack, the kids and Halli come across Ravage while tracking Optimus's scent. Soundwave senses the confrontation going on between Halli and Ravage and goes to find him. In doing so, he meets Wheeljack and the kids. They all agree to work together to find Optimus after things calm down and soon find Faultline's ship. In this chapter, Soundwave is going to do something that no one, not even Lord Megatron, saw coming.**

I woke up to see a black silhouette standing over me in the dark room as I lay on the padded berth. I jolted and shot up on the berth as soon as it registered that somebot was watching me while I was recharging.

I saw the silhouette's hand pull back from its hovering position over my shoulder to hang at their side. "Calm down, Arcee. I was meaning to wake you, but I see you have done that yourself."

I glared hard into silhouette's red optics while I propped myself up on my elbows to look at him. For whatever reason, I stayed down on the berth, rather getting up and facing the freak staring at me. It was Faultline. It was the monster who had me trapped here, along with the baby.

"What do you want?" I growled lowly, glaring up at him.

Faultline's optics narrowed into slits as he gave a brief chuckle. "Nothing you don't have."

My spark skipped a beat as he continued to speak casually. "Now, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need you to follow me."

I didn't move, only continuing to stare at him. He must be out of his mind if he thinks I'm going anywhere with him.

Faultline clasped his servos behind his back after waiting a few moments and stared down at me. "It would be a wise idea to follow me. You did agree to do what I say, so the delicate one can remain alive to see the light of day."

I scowled and sharply looked away, seeing exactly what he was doing. Of course he would threaten me with the baby...

Faultline suddenly chuckled to himself, amused about something. "'You did agree to do what I say, so the delicate one can remain alive to see the light of day'. Oh, what a rhyme! I'll have to remember that one."

I only scowled in response as he spoke of his rhymes.

...And of course it would work.

Right now, I want more than anything for the other 'Bots to find this ship and get Optimus out of here. I can't do anything as of now to keep the baby safe... No, I _can_ do something. I can comply with whatever this mech says to keep the baby safe. That's the _only_ thing I can do, and I hate myself for being so helpless.

I stood slowly, and the mech backed away a few steps, just so I could stand fully in front of him. As I stood stiffly in front of him, I could feel the mech's optics on my frame before he turned on his heel and headed towards the door. I quietly followed behind him into the light of the hallway.

...

On our way to wherever this freak wanted me to go, I saw the Velocitronian femme in the hallway. The light purple, black visored femme was cleaning one of the windows with some sort of red solvent-soaked rag. There was a bucket on the floor next to her wheeled pede, and the floor around it was speckled in drops of the translucent red cleaner fluid. As soon as she saw Faultline headed her way, she turned around and faced away from the window she was half done cleaning. She kept the rag in her hand as she folded her hands right in front of her. She lowered her helm and looked, for all the world, like a timid servant.

Now that I think about it, that's exactly what she was. A timid servant.

Faultline didn't even spare her a second glance as he walked by. As I passed by the slender femme, I couldn't help but look back at her. I was surprised to see that she hadn't immediately gone back to cleaning the window. Instead, she was looking right at me, even though I couldn't see her optics through her black visor.

She had an even sadder look on her face as she gazed after me down the hallway than she the last time I saw her, if that was even possible. It was like she knew about something terrible that she wasn't saying.

I couldn't continue looking directly at her face. That expression was so sorrowful I couldn't handle it. Instead, I looked down, and my optics locked on her hands.

I could obviously tell that she had been laboring around this ship for a very long time. The plating on her hands was slightly discolored; the silver had turned brown on her fingertips. The brown patches were small, and had to have been caused by using strong cleaning chemicals on a regular basis for a long time. I could also see that the plating on her fingers was rough from vorns of work. The armor on the back on the back of her hand was adorned with badly worn, light purple paint, like it had been rubbed off. I could almost see extremely thin scratches on the plating of her digits, and on what little I could see of her palms.

Her servos had seen many years of labor. And at the same time, I could tell that those same battered servos were once very pretty.

I turned to look at Faultline's back briefly before glancing back at 'Lackluster' from the corner of my eye. The instant I looked at her, she turned away and stared down at the floor.

I looked at her through the corner of my optic for a moment longer before turning around a corner. Once I could no longer see her, I reluctantly turned back to Faultline. I could not help but feel on edge as I walked behind the mech who was holding Optimus and me hostage.

Suddenly, Faultline turned his helm halfway to stare down at me with a bright red optic. "You were looking at Lackluster, yes? And I'm assuming you're wondering how the lovely femme came to be here with me. Interesting story there-"

Just then, a terrible, sickened feeling had washed over me. I don't want to hear her story, _especially_ not from this freak. I tried to burn him with my glare as I cut him off, making him slow to a stop in front of me.

"I don't want to hear anything from you," I nearly snarled.

He stared at me with one bright optic for what seemed like forever, and a smile slowly crept across his faceplates. He made no effort to hide the fact that he was looking me up and down as he regarded me coolly. Under his gaze I felt as if an insect was crawling over my plating. I can hardly put into words how uncomfortable I felt when he looked at me.

I saw his servo twitch slightly as it hung at his side, like he was waiting to reach for something. Naturally suspicious and remembering that powerful gun he kept hidden on his back, I tensed up, and made sure he didn't see the change.

I was wary of him to say the very least, but I knew better than to online my weapons system. Doing that would help me defend myself right now, but would put Optimus in danger later. The longer I remain compliant, the better.

"Ah, yes, it can be easy to forget your liveliness." Faultline flashed me a toothy grin and reached towards a wall and pushed a button on a keypad I hadn't noticed before without looking away from me.

"I'll try to remember that feature. It is very pleasing to see that you possess something that Lackluster has become decidedly deficient in." Just as he finished his sentence, a large door slid open beside me, revealing a dark room.

He removed his digit from the keypad and swept his other arm out towards the darkness of the room, gesturing for me to go inside. The smile on his face never faded as he looked at me.

My first reaction was to refuse, but I quickly thought better of it. I reminded myself that I needed to do what I could so that the baby remained alive. And that meant doing what this mech said.

As I stood there, I realized that part of me was somewhat fine with that. I didn't care much about what he planned on doing with me, so long as it meant that I was buying the other 'Bots time to come and get my little brother out of here.

Under normal circumstances, I would not have gone into that dark room for any reason. That would go completely against my training as a warrior. A true warrior would avoid being cornered by the enemy, at all costs.

But they don't give you training on what to do when a sparkling is in danger. Now, the only thing I have to help me along in making my decision is my spark.

For a long time, I ignored what my spark wanted me to do and recalled my training back on Cybertron as a warrior to guide me in the battlefield, as well as everyday life. I had always thought that the spark would only hinder me in achieving my goal in becoming the best warrior I could be. But, occasionally, my spark shows me that what I learned in training is not always right.

My spark was telling me to do one thing, while my training, my mind, was telling me to do another. My mind knew that nothing good was going to come if I went inside that room. My mind was concerned for my wellbeing. I was practically being yelled at by my own mind to resist Faultline and attempt to get away from him at all costs.

My spark, on the other hand, was reassured that the Autobots would come and that if I cooperated, the sparkling would be safe. Everything would be alright, so long as I waited for help to come. My spark was much quieter in its words, though I could hear them loud and clear.

I stood there for a moment, conflicted between two things that I wanted to do at the same time. My spark and mind were practically waging war against one another, neither one seeming to win the fight.

And in an instant, one side was victorious.

Faultline grinned as he watched me enter the pitch black room, showing a bit of his gleaming denta.

Even though I had relatively good vision, I could hardly see anything inside of the room. But, the one thing that I could see, because of the light coming in from the hallway, was something that looked like a berth near the back wall.

I turned around as soon as I heard the door click shut behind me. I looked up to see a pair of very bright, fiery red optics. There was a very ominous look in those optics.

I shut my optics as I felt almost overwhelmed by his presence in the dark room, and braced myself as I felt him move closer to me. I was trapped. There was no way for me to get out of here on my own.

I could hear his footfalls coming closer and closer. All the while, I just kept my optics shut and thought about a better place, some place other than this dark room. My mind wandered back to the base, to the little baby. I started to hear his little laugh as he played with the cyberdog, who was hopping around him like a playful puppy. I saw the calm, peaceful expression on his father's face as Optimus held his stuffed tiger and was being lulled to sleep by the hum of Ratchet's engine. I felt the little baby's purr as I held him to my chassis, watching Bumblebee and Bulkhead thumb-wrestle, waiting for Ratchet to return from the energon storage room with Optimus's cube.

I couldn't help but smile slightly as I recalled the fond memories.

Then I heard Faultline speak in a low voice, shattering the image of Optimus clutching the sides of his energon cube as he lay in Ratchet's arms. "I'll be taking my pay..."

…Steve's POV…

Shank and I were in the medbay helping Rudder out with treating a few workers when I heard through the private Vehicon comm. link that Commander Starscream had been Bridged out of the _Nemesis_.

The link was buzzing with chatter. Most were predicting what was going to happen to out second-in-command and why he had been Bridged out there in the first place. Most people hoped Lord Megatron would hurt the grey Seeker for what he planned against the sparkling. I heard Pillage, the same guy who said he wanted to start a lynch mob with Starscream's name on it, say that he wanted to go after Starscream and hurt him himself.

I fully understood why he was so angry, but riling up the troops isn't going to help. I made sure to send him a transmission over the Vehicon link to calm down. The absolute last thing we needed was a full blown riot.

Rumble stopped me in the hallway a short while ago and told me that Lord Megatron, the other high ranking Decepticons and the Autobots were making progress in finding the mech who took the sparkling. I didn't know how he knew that I knew about the Autobots working with Lord Megatron and the others, but I didn't question it.

But, after a bit of thought, I found that it made sense that he knew. Rumble was one of Soundwave's Deployers, and I'm sure Soundwave was sending some kind of message to him through the link they shared.

Well, I'm glad that he's not using it against us Vehicons. Rumble knows that we could get in serious trouble if Lord Megatron found out that we knew something we weren't supposed to about what he was doing.

What's bothering me a bit about Rumble is that I don't know whether or not he told Soundwave about our efforts to keep a lid on things here on the warship. I pray to Primus he didn't. It's Soundwave's job to immediately report to Lord Megatron if something fishy is going on and he doesn't know about it. We are only trying to help, but I can't help but feel a bit nervous about what would happen to us Vehicons if our leader found out that we knew all about the hunt for the sparkling.

I felt a flicker of fear in my spark when I thought about what might happen to Shank and me for ear-hustling, breaking through Soundwave's numerous firewalls that guarded the coordinates that the other high ranking officers were currently at, Bridging the white Wrecker, his two humans and the dog to the same location, _and_ letting the entire crew know of what was going on with the sparkling.

That thought also leads me to be concerned for Volk and Rudder. Volk became involved in this when Shank and I told him about the missing sparkling and the truce. I don't even want to know how high a price he could pay for agreeing to hold a meeting with the other Vehicon officers to tell them the news about the sparkling. The price may be higher for him than the rest of us, since he's the top Vehicon officer. Also, he's part of the reason why the whole crew knows.

Rudder, like the rest of us, could get in huge trouble just for knowing about what Lord Megatron is doing out there with the Autobots. Plus, he's filling a position he really isn't supposed to be in right now.

With his knowledge and experience, he may as well be an official medic, but for some reason, Knockout is the only official medic on the warship. And only the official medic is really allowed to work in there.

Rudder is one among several other Vehicons who are unofficial medics, but he has the most experience out of all of them. He once told me that he was an experienced doctor since long before the Great War.

I would really hate for anything to happen to the elderly mech. He's, really, the nicest, gentlest person on the warship. He was always helping out around the _Nemesis, _and was always calm, which I personally think was contagious. He could even talk to Lord Megatron without our leader responding to him in his usual angry tone, something that is nearly impossible to do.

He was also the only Vehicon that regularly spoke with Soundwave. Shank told me after a round of ear-hustling that Soundwave and Rudder had known each other for a long time, and were close friends. He's one of the few mechs that personally knew the silent mech.

...He never said anything about it, but I could tell that something was on his mind. It was just a few moments ago that I noticed him wringing his servos, and I noticed his damaged, yellow optics almost constantly flickering. I kept a closer optic on the old mech, and I saw him do it repeatedly.

Over the time that I've known him, I figured out that Rudder only wrings his servos like that when he is deep in thought. It's not too far of a stretch to assume he's thinking about the sparkling. That's what everyone on the warship seemed to be doing right about now.

But he wasn't particularly concerned, at least, not that I could see. The old mech could be incredibly hard to read, and now was one of those moments.

I'm confident that it had to do with the sparkling.

"Are you alright, Rudder?" I asked, concerned, looking away from the medical datapad Shank handed me. My friend looked up at me and then to Rudder after I asked the question.

The old mech turned his helm to gaze at me as he sat near the wall in a chair I brought in from the Rec Room for him. His damaged, yellow visor brightened reassuringly, flickering once again as he answered quietly.

"Don't worry about me, Tripwire. Just remain diligent in your work." I nodded reluctantly and looked back down at the datapad. I could tell that he didn't want to tell me what was on his mind.

I was mildly frustrated with the old mech for that reason, but the feeling quickly passed. The mech was wise, and if he was keeping something to himself, it was for a good reason. I guess I'll just have to trust Rudder on this.

...Jack's POV...

I flipped my phone shut after ending my conversation with my mom. I had taken to calling her every thirty minutes in order to keep her calm, and to keep her from calling Agent Fowler. So far it seemed to work.

Just a little while ago, Ravage and Halli had found this massive spaceship. They tracked Optimus's scent to it, so it had to be the place.

Miko and I had gotten off Halli's back and were standing next to Wheeljack's ankles while we waited for someone to make the next move. I personally hoped it was Wheeljack, not the silent 'Con we were working with.

I looked up at Soundwave, who was standing a short distance away from Wheeljack. The Decepticon third-in-command was making me nervous, really just because of who he was. With all the fighting the other 'Bots did with the Decepticons, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous around him.

Soundwave was just standing there, staring in the direction of the ship we had tracked down, the red light coming from the ship reflecting off his black mask and parts of his helm. I would've thought the Decepticon was a statue if I didn't know any better.

...Well, actually he _was_ moving a bit. I could see his hands trembling at his sides. I furrowed my eyebrows in thought as I watched his fingers shake slightly. I wonder why he was shaking. I definitely don't know Soundwave, but I've heard enough about him from the other 'Bots to know that he never shows emotions, not even through body language.

I know this situation is bad, but to see the normally emotionless 'Con shaking like that told me that something else was going on. Something that had to do with just Soundwave.

"So what're we waitin' on? Let's head in there and get Arcee and the kid out," Wheeljack said, making Miko and me look up at him as he walked towards the red light from behind the large bush. Halli's ears perked as he moved past her. I looked back down to give Miko a nervous glance before running after him.

There is no way he's going in there! We didn't know who else besides the guy who took Optimus and Arcee in that ship. And we don't know if anyone's going to come out of that ship and start shooting at all of us. If the guy can get in and out of the Autobot base undetected, who knows what else he can do!

Thankfully, Miko and I didn't need to stop him.

Soundwave quickly spun around and put a warning hand on Wheeljack's shoulder, keeping him from continuing towards the bush that separated us and the ship. There was a tense silence as Wheeljack stared at the silent Decepticon.

Wheeljack folded his arms over his chest in frustration as Soundwave removed his hand. "The ship's right there. We should go in now while we got the chance."

Soundwave only stood there as he responded with a recording of some Decepticon's voice. _"It's too dangerous."_

Wheeljack kept his arms folded over his chest as he started to tap his fingers on his upper arm impatiently. "Not too dangerous for a Wrecker."

Ravage laid down and put his head down on his front paws, practically tapping his claws on the looking really impatient. Halli looked anxiously back and forth between Soundwave and Wheeljack as she stood there, like she was rooted to the ground as Miko nodded. "Yeah, nothing's dangerous for a Wrecker!"

I remained quiet. I don't know what we're getting ourselves into, and I know Miko doesn't know. We really should listen to Soundwave, even if he is a 'Con.

It was like Soundave knew exactly what I was thinking when he responded using his audio clips _"You don't know what you're getting yourself into."_

Wheeljack smirked. "Only one way to find out."

Soundwave just stared at him for a long moment through his black mask before saying through the audio clips, _"The others... are nearby."_

…Dreadwing's POV…

I was flying relatively close behind Ratchet, also known as Fallstreak, beside Lord Megatron, when I noticed something that was slightly amiss, other than the current situation that we were in.

The new flyer is virtually unarmed. Being a medic, he was not armed with blasters, or any long-range weapons. I am aware that he uses his medical tools as weapons, as Knockout does, but those close range weapons will do him no good in air combat.

I know that F/A-18 Super Hornets are equipped with an M61 Vulcan gatling gun, but those rounds provided by humans in the six-barrel cannon simply aren't enough to efficiently take down a Cybertronian warrior. A stronger weapon will have to be given to him.

"_Lord Megatron,"_ I said through the comm. link, gaining my leader's attention. He responded, but with an irritated tone.

"_Yes, what is it?" _I paused for a nanoklik to gather my thoughts before speaking to him.

"_The Autobot medic is a strong fighter, but I fear he may need a long-range blaster to match his skill on the ground in the air."_

"_Oh, really? And what makes you come to that conclusion?"_

"_The Autobot scanned an alternate mode that is armed with a human cannon, one that is not ideal for engaging in combat with other mechs,"_ I said carefully. _"And since we are flying into the unknown in regards to this mech that abducted the little child, I suggest we arm the medic with a blaster."_

Had we not been in vehicular modes, Lord Megatron would have nodded. _"I understand your logic, Dreadwing. But that can wait for another day, when we are not so pressed for time."_

"_Yes, my lord."_ Then Lord Megatron chuckled slightly as his alternate mode shuddered slightly while dealing with the incoming wind and air resistance.

"_Besides, after twice watching the Autobot medic handle Starscream with the ease, efficiency, and ferocity of a gladiator, I do not think that we have any reason to be concerned."_

* * *

(He was not pleased with what he was seeing.)

(He saw the blue femme, restrained, helpless, and, he knew, demeaned. She was demeaned by another, the one in the very same room as her.)

(This was not her choice, he knew. And yet, it was. This was in a valiant effort to protect one weaker than her. The weaker one... The one who was being comforted by his horned keeper in the small, dark place. The one who had started the cycle once more. The cycle of new life.)

(He rested and waited and watched for a long time. And in that time, he knew that the cycle would start once more.)

(Though he knew this would be, he enjoyed seeing the precious one's interactions with others, the precious one's bonds, formed with others. Others... especially the two that resided on opposite sides.)

(The two that resided on opposite sides were closer than they already knew. He watched them form a friendship that was growing ever stronger in secret. It was a shame that it must remain this way for now. He knew that there was power in such friendships.)

(These two, he saw, were both fathers. One from long ago and one of the precious one.)

(The one from long ago suffered great loss, loss that many others would not be able to handle. He chose a vow of silence, and chose a side. He knew that the one from long ago was virtuous, more so than others, despite what his side stands for, despite what he has been through. The silent one no longer has his precious one, and he has suffered without his precious one.)

(The one of the precious one was new, yet experienced. He could feel the one of the precious one's love for his small offspring. The precious one's father was so warm and comforting; it pleased him to see the affection.)

(The precious one had begun to mend the shattered halves together, despite the rusting and cracking and crumbling of the edges where they once connected. This event, he knew, affected all of them, from both sides.)

(It saddened him to see that events took such a terrible turn, though he knew it would be long ago. He had decided in times long past that the blue femme must be preserved. Her time to join him had not yet come.)

(The blue femme's self-sacrifice was admirable. Many of the others would do whatever they could in their power to preserve themselves, selfishly, whereas her only interest was protecting the precious one.)

(He heard her words. He heard her pleas to him to protect the precious one, and forgetting to do so for herself. The sheer desperation and immense faith in her words resonated within him, ringing and echoing.)

(Even now he heard her pleas for the precious one's safety, as she was restrained, exposed, and crying out in her torment caused by the one in the room with her. Few things upset him more than the pained pleas of the innocent.)

(It was not part of his plan for her to be harmed so. Others around him agreed.)

(He hailed the precious one's horned keeper, gave him a rod, and sent him out to smite down the one harming the femme.)

* * *

...Arcee's POV: Some Time Later...

I pleaded for all of it to stop. And he wouldn't stop.

I am no stranger to pain. I fight in a war; I live in pain. But this was unbearable. This was too much, and was taking too long.

Unable to move, I wasn't able to defend myself. It hurt, in more ways than one. I was beginning to wonder if there truly was no one here for me, even as I kept begging for something – _anything_ – to happen to make this all finally come to an end.

I hated being vulnerable like this, and I hated being restrained so I stayed vulnerable. The bonds were too tough to break, and all I could do was lay there as Faultline continued to do what he pleased with me.

But, suddenly, it all ended. The pain was still there, but no more was being caused. I kept my optics shut, expecting this break to be short, but the pain never started again.

Slowly, I gathered the strength to open my optics, to be shocked by the sight I saw in this dark room. I would have rubbed my optics to make sure that I wasn't dreaming, but my servos were bound. So I just lay there, wide-eyed.

Faultline was lying on the floor next to the berth, writhing in pain, clutching his leg. His normally smooth facial features were twisted in his agony as he grunted roughly. As I lay there, bound to the berth, I could smell seared paint and burnt energon, and I could hear the soft crackling of flying sparks.

I smiled slightly as I grimaced, trying to recover from the pain that still lingered. Whatever that was did a real number on his leg. The plating on his thigh, from what little I could see in this dark room, was both split from a powerful impact and badly burned. The jagged edges of the split plating were still glowing was heated yellow, like a frame welder on high power was used on it. I could obviously see that it was causing him a lot of pain.

The only problem was that I didn't see was 'it' was.

After looking back up, I saw exactly what 'it' was.

Cliffjumper stood at the foot of the berth, facing Faultline. How was that even possible? Cliff is dead! Starscream killed him. I saw his mutilated, Dark Energon infected remains.

I stared wide-eyed and speechless as Cliffjumper stood there, strong as ever, as if he never died. There was a soft white light shining around his helm and his optics were a very bright white, and seemed to burn with a protective fire. His flawless paint was a very bright, almost glowing red, and in his hands was a long staff.

The staff was constantly wavering in his hands, like it wasn't completely solid or made of flames. It was lit with a heated violet as Cliffjumper held the staff with both servos placed evenly apart from each other.

He was holding it like it was a weapon and his pedes were in a wide stance. He was standing like he was ready to hit Faultline again with the staff, and was looking down at him, who was still on the floor.

I tried to open my mouth and call his name, but no sound came out. I was too shocked to do anything. My deceased partner had come back to protect me.

The look on his face surprised me. His joking demeanor that I knew well when he was alive was completely gone. In place of that was a stern glare, aimed at Faultline.

Suddenly, I heard a pained grunt and hydraulics hissing, making my tear my gaze away from the glowing spirit in front of me and looked down at Faultline.

As he stood, I could tell that he was favoring the leg that was scorched. He turned his helm to look at me as he spoke, in as calm a voice he could work up. There was a still a smile on his face, though this one showed cold sadism rather than calm relief. The dark expression chilled me to the protoform.

"I'll be right back." With that, he slightly limped his way out of the room, still favoring his burned leg, as if he didn't see Cliff standing right in front him.

Now that I think about it, he might not be able to see him.

I turned my helm back to Cliffjumper as the light of the hallway faded out again, to see him giving me a sideways glance. I couldn't look away once we made optic contact. I still couldn't quite comprehend the fact that a spirit had just come to protect me from beyond the grave.

Then, he gave me a small, comforting smile as he took one hand off the glowing staff and waved at me. Even with his servo still moving, his frame faded and blew away, like red sand in the wind.

...Ratchet's POV...

I had reached a clearing that was near the ship and was waiting for the others to show. Megatron and Dreadwing waited with me, standing nearby.

Bumblebee commed me a short while ago, saying that he and Bulkhead were twenty minutes away from my current location. I was surprised to hear how much progress they had made in through the trees over such a long distance. I know that it is not easy getting through the undergrowth with a ground based vehicular mode.

Now I am particularly glad that I scanned a new vehicular form. I am able to get around much faster without much trouble.

Before I landed here, I spotted the ship underneath the tall trees ahead. The ship was massive; it was no two seat fighter. Five, possibly six, bots could easily live in that vessel for an extended period of time.

I was so _close_. So close to getting my son back, and yet I had to wait here for the others to rendezvous at my location. I knew that it was not a wise choice to go ahead alone, but I could still feel the powerful urge to rush the ship and get my son back. It was hard to resist. I suppose that the only to maintain my sanity at this moment is to focus on something else.

While I was flying, I noticed that the clouds were coming in from the south very quickly. I saw that they were very dark clouds, making the night darker than it already was. There may be a storm coming, though I am not confident enough in my knowledge of this planet's weather patterns to be completely sure.

In fact, I could see them partially covering the sky overhead now. The wind started to pick up, and leaves started to rustle on their branches and in the air. That only made the dark clouds move even faster, starting to cover the full moon.

I hope that the darkening sky won't interfere in the others finding us here in the clearing. If it's dark out here in the open, I know that it's very dark underneath the trees.

I was pulled away from my attempts to distract myself, and my wings lifted slightly in surprise at hearing Megatron's frustrated tone.

"What is taking them so long?!" He growled, glaring darkly at nothing in particular. I instantly grew annoyed, but didn't say anything. Evidently Megatron is too impatient to take into account that land based modes take much longer than alternate modes capable of flight to travel from one place to another.

He continued to grumble about how much time they were taking as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chassis, and his fusion cannon started to glow a very hot white. I attempted to remain calm, but apparently other around me could see my annoyance.

Dreadwing had come over to me and put a clawed servo on my shoulder with a serious expression on his faceplates, silently advising me to keep a level head, something that was becoming harder and harder to do. My blood-red optics continued to grow slowly brighter as my annoyance and anger increased.

Fortunately for Megatron, we didn't have to wait much longer.

Bumblebee, followed by Knockout and Bulkhead, came out of the woods to my right in their vehicular modes, causing us to turn and look at the sound of their engines. After transforming back into their bipedal modes, they all met with the rest of us.

"_Did you see the ship overhead, Ratchet?"_ Bumblebee asked me from next to Bulkhead, drawing everyone's attention to him. I nodded and pointed in the direction of the vessel.

"Yes. It's about fifty yards in this direction." I lowered my arm and looked over at Knockout, instantly noticing that someone was missing. "Where is Breakdown?"

"Breakdown has been selected by Lord Megatron to ensure that Starscream will not attempt to escape while we are retrieving the sparkling," Dreadwing answered for me, gesturing towards the warlord as he mentioned him.

"Since we do not have sufficient information on the owner of the vessel to deal with him the manner I would like to, we will walk to remainder of the distance," Megatron said.

"In order to stay under the radar, my lord?" Knockout asked. Bumblebee nodded, answering for the warlord.

"_Yeah. It won't do us any good if he knew we were all out to get him."_

"We should get moving," Bulkhead said, trying to urge us to start heading towards the ship, not that I need the push. The sooner we start walking, sooner I have my opportunity to get my son back and brutally murder the mech who took him from me.

...Bumblebee's POV...

We had reached the ship in no time at all, really. After I spotted it, I alerted the others and we all gathered again to decide what we were going to do next.

The best way to go would be to overpower the mech and storm the ship. We chose not to split off like we did last time, and position ourselves relatively close together in the trees around the exit hatch at the back of the ship. Close enough to verbally speak to each other without too many problems, anyway.

The ship was way bigger than I expected. It was sitting there in a pretty big clearing in the trees, but it took up most of the clearing space. There were four massive engines on the back, two on one side and two on the other. There were lighted seams that were bright red that started at the front of the ship and make their way towards the back, looking almost like red circuit boards, working around the plates of metal on the ship. Those lights made the ship a bit easier to see in the dark.

Along the side that I could see was a number of windows, though they were too tinted for me to see inside.

I could also see two massive blasters on the front of the ship, as well as a lot of other weapons that I couldn't quite identify. On top of this ship was an enormous cannon that had those red lighted seams going from its muzzle to the back.

It was like nothing I had ever seen in my life. With the weapons on it, the ship looked a bit like a scorpion.

What we were going to do was have Dreadwing set off one of his weaker bombs to draw the mech out ship. Then, I was going to distract him long enough for one of the others to sneak up and take him down.

Bulkhead had suggested that we send out Ratchet as a Decepticon Seeker to distract him, and the others liked the idea (especially Ratchet) but I explained to them that it wouldn't be a very wise idea. Ratchet would break the guy in half if he got close enough, and that's only if the mech was extremely lucky.

Once we've got the mech down and out, we'll station a few of ours with him to make sure he stays down. Then, Ratchet, backed by Dreadwing and myself, will invade the ship to search for Arcee and Optimus.

If we come across anyone... well, I'm sure Ratchet won't have anyone keeping him from his kid. I just hope he leaves them in one piece.

Because of the very real possibility of Ratchet's anger getting the better of him, I made sure I was near him, just so I could restrain him if he could no longer fight the urge to charge.

I glanced over at Dreadwing, who was a little ways away, and nodded once, setting our plan in motion. He reaching back and took a bomb from his subspace. It was smaller than his other ones, but he said that the bang was a lot louder than his usual bombs, so we'll know that the mech will hear it on the inside.

I watched from behind a bush as Dreadwing tripped the bomb off and tossed it into the clearing, near the ship's right landing gear. As the bomb's lit timer swiftly started to count down, I sent out a transmission for everyone to reduce the audio input of their receptors, to cut the audio input temporarily, preferably. We didn't need anyone damaging their audio receptors.

The bomb went off, and all of us hidden in the woods found out that Dreadwing was not kidding when he said it was loud. I could feel the vibrations in the ground and in the air. I'm glad I cut the audio input in my receptors. I can only hope the others did the same.

Having turned the input to my audio receptors back up, I could hear birds calling fearfully and working to fly away from here after the bomb went off. Off in the distance I heard other, larger animals running for their lives, though I couldn't really tell exactly what they were from here.

There was no activity coming from the ship at first. I glanced over to my left at Ratchet, whose optics were still a very bright, angry, blood-red. I hope he can keep himself under control enough to stay hidden here. I won't be particularly happy if our cover is blown.

Suddenly, there was a sharp, loud noise, and it came from the ship. I stared out at the ship from behind the bush and saw that it was the exit hatch unlocking!

"_Everybody get ready..."_ I transmitted out to the others. We had to make sure we did this fast. The quicker we take him down, the less time he has to fight back.

I tensed up a bit as the exit hatch door slid back and base lowered. There was a muffled thump as the metal of base hit the ground. Standing on the base of the lowered hatch with a quizzical look on his face and a casual servo on his hip, was the mech that started this whole mess.

It was Faultline.

I heard Ratchet snarl menacingly at the sight of him, and I gave him a sharp look, giving him a rare glare. We can't afford to have our cover blown, and I'm glad Ratchet got the point and stopped. But his red optics kept blazing, burning brighter than ever, and his wings flared out, making him look bigger.

We all watched from our different positions, still hidden in the dark woods, listening to distant thunder rumbling in the sky. The fast-moving clouds had now almost completely blackened the sky, and we could no longer see the full moon.

Faultline walked off the hatch and looked around his ship, a puzzled look on his face. He was no doubt wondering what in the world that noise was. While he moved further off the hatch, I noticed a freshly welded recovery patch on his thigh. I couldn't help but be a bit curious about how he got the wound, seeing that the patch was new.

I onlined my weapons system and was about to play my part in the plan and go out to distract him, when I heard a loud rustling in the bushes to the far right. I quietly gasped when I saw what made the sound.

Soundwave came walking out of the bushes, towards the mech! I stared in amazement as the silent Decepticon caught Faultline's attention, making him turn to him. Is that where he was this whole time? No, that wouldn't make any sense. If he found the ship that long before we did, he would have notified Megatron. He probably found this place a short time before the rest of us.

I looked over at Dreadwing and saw that even he had a shocked look on his face. I glanced over at Ratchet and saw that his faceplates mirrored Dreadwing's.

After seeing both of their expressions, I commed Megatron and asked him if he knew what Soundwave was doing. He responded, asking angrily if he looked like he knew.

I turned my helm and looked at Megatron, who was a little ways away from me and glaring at me. I ignored the expression and looked back to what was going on in the clearing.

We were a good distance away from Faultline, but I could hear him just fine. He arched an optic ridge at Soundwave as he spoke casually. "And who are you?"

Soundwave only stopped walking and stared at him through his black mask. I looked back and forth between the two, trying to figure out what the Pit is going on. From what I know it was completely out of his character to confront an enemy face to face like that unless given a _really_ good reason.

Something bad had to have happened to make Soundwave do that. And seeing that Faultline is a shady figure (an understatement) already, I doubt I really want to know.

...Soundwave's POV...

I could no longer resist the urge once I saw him.

I stepped out of the bushes and walked towards him.

After so many vorns of searching, I finally have the chance to confront this mech.

I have the chance to confront him for Wingspar, for Clearout, for his countless victims.

From what I researched of Faultline back on Cybertron after Wingspar's death, I found that Faultline always narrowed in on his next victim, watching them for a while before catching them when they have their guard down. Of the murder cases that I found filed into police reports, I saw that the reasoning behind such an action was to find the best window of opportunity to catch the next victim off guard, and the greatest chance of going uninterrupted.

He had to have known that I was a single father after my sparkmate, Halli, died of Cosmic Rust. He had to have known that I left to purchase energon for Wingspar and myself from the local energon storage unit. He had to have known that I trusted the young femme, Clearout, enough to watch my child. He had to have known that Clearout did not know how to defend herself well.

To him, what he did to my child and friend was no different from him many other victims. He knows about me. And I am confident that he will remember me.

"And who are you?"

My servos balled into tight fists at the mech's smooth words. Never in my life was it so difficult for me to remain calm. My spark burned in my chest as I worked to hold back.

I stood in the clearing in front of the mech who took my child from me. I stood there as the wind speed increased and thunder rumbled loudly overhead. The black clouds almost swirled overhead as I fumed, almost trembling in anger. This monster didn't recognize me...

I knew that the other Decepticons and Autobots are in the woods of the surrounding area, watching us. I knew that the white Wrecker, the humans, the dog and one of my Deployers were all watching. But, I, at this very moment, did not care who was watching. I didn't care that Lord Megatron was watching.

All I was focused on was forcing this monster to remember me.

There was a way that I know that I can make this monster remember. And I didn't hesitate to do it.

I reached up, and soon the monster chuckled. "Oh, now I know you! I have to say it's been quite some time."

While he's saying this, I heard a series of astonished gasps and shocked whispers from the woods, just beyond the treeline. All of this, I ignored. My focus was this monster.

I was going to find out why he took my baby from me.

...Megatron's POV...

I irritably wondered what my third-in-command was doing when he reached up after being asked who he was, but I found out what in a matter of seconds. Now I stared wide-eyed out into the clearing.

There are few things that surprise me. I am a gladiator of Kaon; I've scoffed at things that sickened and traumatized other bots. But this was on another level of astonishing. One that I had never experienced – until now.

I saw Soundwave's servo lower to his side, with his black mask clutched tightly in his slender digits.

Bumblebee covered the yellow armor over his mouth with his servos, optics wide. Knockout vocalized his amazement in a whisper to an equally amazed Dreadwing, who was standing nearby. The green Wrecker rubbed his optics, as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. The Autobot medic's expression had lost all anger and was replaced with sheer astonishment as he stood next to Bumblebee, mouthing the words, 'Oh my Primus'.

Thunder boomed again, but hardly anyone flinched. We weren't paying any attention to the current weather conditions, or Faultline.

I would have never, in a million vorns, thought that my third-in-command had glittering, sapphire-blue optics.

**Bet you didn't expect that, huh? **

**I want to thank WingedWolfAlari again for helping me out with the basic structure of the next few chapters. **

**If you have any questions, comments or ideas for me, just let me know in a review. And let me know if you see any typos.**

**This chapter would have been longer, but if I had kept going, it would have gotten too long. So I have to cut it off here. **

**Hope you liked it, and see you in the next chapter!**

**Till next time!**

**P.S. What do you think the rest of Soundwave's face looks like?**


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